Pope Francis has announced his intention to continue giving top roles to women in the Roman Curia, particularly by appointing two women to the body that helps the pontiff appoint new bishops.

In an interview with Reuters, Francis spoke of his intention to appoint two women to the Dicastery of Bishops.

He was being asked which Dicasteries could be entrusted to laymen or women in the future.

"I am open should an opportunity arise. Right now, the Governorate has a deputy governor... Now, two women will be going to the Congregation of Bishops, on the commission to elect bishops. In this way, things open up a little bit,” the Pope said.

He added that he sees the possibility of lay people being appointed to certain Vatican departments in the future, such as the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, the Dicastery for Culture and Education, or the Vatican Apostolic Library.

He noted that, last year he appointed Sr Raffaella Petrini to the number two position in the Vatican City Governorate, making her the first woman to hold the position.

He has also appointed a number of other sisters to top posts at the Vatican.