The Vatican announced on June 30 (local time) that Pope Leo XIV has appointed Italian nun Alessandra Smerilli as the head of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development is one of the Vatican's key departments, responsible for matters including justice, peace, social welfare, migration, and healthcare ministry.

The new head, Smerilli, will lead the department jointly with Cardinal Fabio Baggio, who serves as the undersecretary of the dicastery.

This arrangement accounts for the requirement that certain roles within the department must be held by a cardinal who has received priestly ordination.

Pope Leo XIV is actively appointing women to high-ranking positions within the Vatican, continuing the trend established by his predecessor, Pope Francis.

Earlier this month, Montserrat Alvarado, a laywoman and media executive from Mexico, was appointed as the head of the Vatican's communications department, a position equivalent to a cabinet minister.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)