Lawyer Dr Francesca Di Giovanni recently became the first female undersecretary in the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, making her the first woman to hold such a senior position. This appointment is the latest of Pope Francis’ efforts to bring more women into decision-making roles within the Vatican. But Di Giovanni has already worked in the self-same Section for Relations with States that she will now lead for almost three decades. Despite the historic nature of the appointment, Di Giovanni is hardly likely to transform the papacy.