Alessandra Smerilli

Alessandra Smerilli, FMA (born 14 November 1974) is an Italian Catholic economist, academic, and religious sister who has served as the Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in the Roman Curia since August 2021. She was the first woman to be appointed secretary of a dicastery, the second most senior official of a Curia department after the prefect, which made her the highest-ranking woman in the Roman Curia at the time. She was appointed prefect in June 2026, effective in September.

Smerilli holds a post-PhD (it. docente) degree in political economy and statistics from the Pontifical Faculty of Educational Sciences Auxilium. She is a member of the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco.

Biography Alessandra Smerilli was born on 14 November 1974 in Vasto, Italy.

Allesandra studied at the Faculty of Economics of the Roma Tre University and in July 2001, graduated with a degree in economics and commerce with specialization in political economy with full marks, honours and the right to publish the thesis.

Smerilli works at the Pontifical Faculty of Educational Sciences Auxilium as an extraordinary professor of political economy and statistics, and also as a member of the University's board of directors. She also teaches economics, ethics and finance at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Salesian Pontifical University and in the master's program in civil and non-profit economics at the University of Milan-Bicocca.

Roman Curia Smerilli was among the first group of women Pope Francis placed in senior leadership roles in the Roman Curia.

In 2018, she was an auditor at the 15th ordinary general assembly of the Synod of Bishops which took place in Vatican City from 3 to 28 October 2018 on the theme "Young people, faith and vocational discernment".

On 17 April 2019, Pope Francis appointed her a councilor of the Vatican City State. On 24 May 2019, he named her a consultant to the general secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.

Beginning in the spring of 2020, she coordinated the Economic Task Force of the Vatican COVID-19 Commission, an institution created by Pope Francis to express the Church's concern in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and to propose answers to the socio-economic challenges of the future.

Smerilli is also a member of the Women for a New Renaissance a task force set up by the Minister for Equal Opportunities and the family of the Italian politician Elena Bonetti.

On 24 March 2021, Pope Francis appointed her the undersecretary for the Faith and Development Sector of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. She was named the interim secretary on 26 August 2021, making her the first woman to hold the second-ranking position in a dicastery in the Roman Curia, and the highest ranking woman in the curia at the time. Her appointment as the Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development was made permanent on 23 April 2022. She was joined at comparable ranks by Raffaella Petrini who was appointed secretary general of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State in November 2021, and Simona Brambilla who was appointed Secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in October 2023.

In September 2023 she was named a member of the Board of Directors of the Laudato Si' Center for Higher Education.

In 2024, she contributed the foreword to a publication of Caritas Internationalis entitled Equality, Encounter, Renewal: A Caritas commitment to the promotion of women's leadership and participation, based on the Holy Scriptures and Catholic Social Teaching values and principles.

On 11 February 2025, Pope Francis established the Commission for Donations to the Holy See (Commissio de Donationibus pro Sancta Sede) and appointed Smerilli one of its members. She was appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development by Pope Leo XIV in June 2026, effective in September.

Publications

Awards

On 28 May 2020, she was awarded (receiving in early 2021) the Order of the Star of Italy.