Pope Francis has named three women as members of the Catholic dicastery for bishops.
The female members are Raffaella Petrini, a nun and secretary-general of the governorate of the Vatican City State; Yvonne Reungoat, a nun and former superior-general of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians; and Maria Lia Zervino, president of the World Union of Catholic Women Organisations.
The members of the dicastery assist in the selection of bishops for dioceses, and they also conduct analyses on position papers regarding opinions on candidates.
This is the first time women would be appointed into the dicastery.