Pope Francis has been the pontiff who has most promoted the inclusion of women in important positions within the Church.

In the same 2013, the year of his election, he wrote the apostolic exhortation ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ in which he criticized the exclusion of women from roles within the Church.

In the encyclical 'Fratelli Tutti' of 2020, he speaks about equality and the importance of women's participation in society and in the Church.

In 2020 Francesca Di Giovanni became the first woman to hold a high position in the Vatican Secretariat of State.

In 2021 he appointed Nathalie Becquart undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops and was the first woman with the right to vote in a synod.

In 2021 a woman, Raffaella Petrini, was appointed secretary general of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

In 2022 Simona Brambilla became the first woman to head a Vatican dicastery after being appointed prefect for institutes of consecrated life.

Pope Francis also modified the Code of Canon Law so that women can access to the ministries of the lectorate and the acolyte.

The new Pope has before him the challenge of following Pope Francis' lead and increasing women's participation in decision making.

The arrival of women to the priesthood does not seem a realistic goal in the short term, but their role in the Church must be increasingly decisive.