Pope Francis has appointed six women to oversee the Vatican’s finances including Ruth Kelly, the former Labour minister, in the most senior roles ever given to women within the Catholic church’s leadership. The appointments mark the most significant step by Francis to fulfil his promise of placing women in top positions. “That six are women is a pretty big quota,” said Joshua McElwee, the Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter. The only layman on the council is Alberto Minali, a former director general at Generali, the Italian insurance company. “It is essentially the board of surveillance for everything financial within the Vatican, with the only person above it being Pope Francis,” said McElwee.

Source: The Guardian August 06, 2020 16:42 UTC