Pope Leo XIV has appointed Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, FMA, as Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. The appointment, announced today by the Holy See Press Office, will take effect on 1 September 2026.

A member of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and an economist, Sr. Alessandra Smerilli is widely recognized as one of the Church's leading voices in the fields of civil economy, ethics, and integral human development. In recent years, she has served as Secretary of the Dicastery, following her appointment in 2021 as Undersecretary and Delegate to the Vatican COVID-19 Commission.

Established by Pope Francis in 2017, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development is entrusted with promoting the dignity of every person in the light of the Gospel and the Church's Social Doctrine. Its mission encompasses key issues such as justice and peace, care for our common home, migration, labour, health, and humanitarian emergencies.

With this appointment, Pope Leo XIV entrusts the leadership of one of the Holy See's most significant Dicasteries to a woman religious whose ministry has been marked by a commitment to bringing together economic reflection, care for the most vulnerable, and service to the Church's mission.

UISG welcomes this appointment with joy, seeing it as a sign of hope and an encouragement for the contribution that women religious continue to make to the life of the Church and to the building of a more just, fraternal, and compassionate world. The International Union of Superiors General accompanies Sr. Alessandra with its prayers as she begins this new ministry.