Raffaella Petrini (born 15 January 1969) is an Italian

religious sister A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pr ...

of the

congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...

of the

Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist The Institute of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist (FSE) is a Roman Catholic religious congregation for women. The motherhouse is in Meriden, Connecticut, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford. History The Institute of the Francis ...

and a Roman Curia official.

Biography

She was born in Rome on 15 January 1969 and graduated with a degree in Political Science from the

Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali "Guido Carli" (Italian for ''Free International University of Social Studies "Guido Carli"''), known by the acronym "LUISS" or "LUISS Guido Carli", is a prestigious private university loca ...

of Rome. She received a doctorate from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas ( Angelicum), where she was later appointed professor of Welfare Economics and Sociology of Economic Processes. She also studied organizational behavior at the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and it ...

(Connecticut), receiving a masters degree in 2001. From 2005 to 2021 she has worked on the staff of the

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

. On 4 November 2021, Pope Francis appointed her to be the first woman to hold the office of Secretary General of the

Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State The Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State ( la, Pontificia Commissio pro Civitate Vaticana, it, Pontificia Commissione per lo Stato della Città del Vaticano;) is the legislative body of Vatican City. It consists of a president, who als ...

. He noted that since she held the number two position in the governorship of Vatican City, Petrini had become the highest-ranking woman in the world's smallest state. On 13 July 2022,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

appointed women as members of the

Dicastery for Bishops The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (), is the department of the Roman Curia that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usually followed. The Dicas ...

for the first time, two religious sisters and one

consecrated virgin In the Catholic Church, a consecrated virgin is a woman who has been consecrated by the church to a life of perpetual virginity as a bride of Christ. Consecrated virgins are consecrated by the diocesan bishop according to the approved liturgical ...

: Raffaella Petrini,

Yvonne Reungoat Yvonne Reungoat FMA (born 14 January 1945 in Plouénan, France) is a French religious sister, who is a former Superior General of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. In July 2022, she has been appointed as a member in the Vatican's Dicaste ...

, and María Lía Zervino.

References

1969 births Living people 21st-century Italian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns Franciscan nuns Women officials of the Roman Curia Members of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli alumni Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas faculty {{Italy-reli-bio-stub