Pope Leo XIV Appoints Sister Mary Barron to Lead Pontifical Mission Societies
Pope Leo XIV has named Irish religious sister Mary Teresa Barron as adjunct secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization and president of the Pontifical Mission Societies, making her the first woman to lead the Church's missionary network in more than 120 countries. She takes office on Jan. 4, 2027.
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Sister Mary Teresa Barron as adjunct secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization in the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches, while also entrusting her with the presidency of the Pontifical Mission Societies. The Holy See Press Office announced that the Irish religious sister will assume her new responsibilities on Jan. 4, 2027.
Barron, who has served as superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles since 2018, becomes the first woman to lead the pontifical missionary network, which operates in more than 120 countries. In her new role, she will coordinate and promote missionary cooperation among local Churches worldwide, particularly in regions where the Church is growing and facing significant pastoral challenges. Her appointment places her among the highest-ranking women in the Roman Curia.
The appointment is part of a broader pattern under Pope Leo XIV of placing women in senior Vatican leadership positions. On May 22, 2025, the pope named Sister Tiziana Merletti secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. On April 1, 2026, Paola Fanelli was appointed director of human resources for the Holy See. On June 2, 2026, María Montserrat Alvarado, currently president and chief operating officer of EWTN News, was named prefect of the Dicastery for Communication; she is scheduled to become, on Nov. 1, the first woman to lead the department responsible for coordinating the Holy See's communications system, including Vatican News, Vatican Radio, L'Osservatore Romano, and Vatican digital platforms. On June 30, Salesian Sister Alessandra Smerilli was appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
On Monday, Pope Leo XIV received representatives of the Association of Vatican Lay Workers and the Women in the Vatican Association. During the meeting, he said that «the presence of women» in the Vatican «is a valuable asset that must be increasingly recognized and appreciated.» The pope added that women «bring not only a special sensitivity toward people and relationships but also the full range of human, professional, and intellectual talents inherent in the female experience and perspective.»
Born in Donegal, Ireland, on Nov. 7, 1968, Barron holds a master's degree in health administration from Dublin's Institute of Public Administration and a master's degree in international development from the Kimmage Development Studies Centre. Her congregation is dedicated to evangelization and missionary service, especially in several African countries. From 2022 to 2025, she served as president of the Service of Documentation and Study on Global Mission (SEDOS), and from 2023 to 2025 she led the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), which represents approximately 600,000 religious sisters in 80 countries.
During a press conference following Synod on Synodality discussions on Oct. 7, 2024, Barron, then UISG president, addressed the question of women who experience «a call to priesthood.» She argued that the issue should be approached from the perspective of the Spirit. «I think we have to look at the question very much from … the Spirit. 'Is the Spirit calling women?' Because some women do sense a call to priesthood or diaconate,» she said. Barron added that «even if at the moment we may not be looking at ordained ministry» for women, discussion on the issue should continue.
She also emphasized that opportunities for women to assume positions of governance in the Church continue to depend in large part on cultural factors, noting that women are able to take on broader leadership roles in some societies while doing so remains more difficult in others. «I think we have to look at broader than just can or can we not from a theological or a canonical point of view, but in terms of the spirit calling to ministry today and in terms … of the needs of mission today,» she said. Barron concluded by calling for continued reflection: «Are those calls there and can we continue the discussion? I think that's what we would be asking at this point in time. Can we continue the discussion in relation to that?»
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