Pope Francis has named the first woman to head a major Vatican office. He is appointing Sister Simona Brambilla, an Italian nun, to become prefect of the Vatican department responsible for all the church's religious orders.

Pope Francis on Monday named the first woman to lead a major Vatican department, appointing an Italian sister to take charge of the office that oversees the world's Catholic religious orders.

Pope Francis has made a historic appointment by naming Sister Simona Brambilla as the first woman to lead a major Vatican department overseeing Catholic religious orders. This significant change continues Francis's trend of promoting women to leadership roles in the Vatican during his papacy.

Brambilla's appointment is the latest move by Francis to show by example how women can take leadership roles within the Catholic hierarchy, albeit without allowing them to be ordained as priests.