The first catechist-theologian

On May 25, 2025, in the Florence cathedral, a gesture took place that may seem small but holds great significance for today’s Catholic Church: Serena Noceti became the first officially instituted catechist to serve as a theologian for the diocese. The event, which symbolically occurred on her birthday, represents not only personal recognition but, above all, a meaningful step toward greater inclusion of women in the Church’s teaching authority.

During the celebration, Archbishop Gherardo Gambelli of Florence conferred various ministries, lector, acolyte, and the ministry of catechist on two men (a married layman and a seminarian) and seven women. However, the ministry conferred upon Serena Noceti carries particular weight. This is not simply the institution of a catechist, but the formal acknowledgment of a theologian’s charism exercised, “in the name of the Church”. This distinction is fundamental: as stated in the Rite, the instituted catechist exercises a ministry as “teacher (magistra) and mystagogue”, with the specific task of serving the Church of Florence as a theologian. Noceti’s appointment represents the meeting point between a professional who has devoted decades to theological service and a Church that formally recognizes this contribution.

Simona Segoloni, who is the president of the Coordination of Italian Women Theologians, emphasized that this is not merely legitimizing work already carried out with competence and dedication. “It is the recognition not only of her service, but perhaps even more, the recognition of the Church’s need to be taught and, importantly, to be taught by a woman”. This act holds extraordinary symbolic and practical value. On one hand, it confirms that the Catholic Church is opening greater spaces of responsibility to women in theological teaching. On the other, it affirms that women’s theological expertise is no longer marginal or merely tolerated but is now seen as an essential resource for ecclesial life.

Instituted ministries are conferred by the bishop once in a lifetime and define the ecclesial identity of a baptized person in a stable way, after the Church has recognized the presence of a specific charism needed for service in fundamental areas of ecclesial life. As the Rite states, it entails the exercise of real co-responsibility with the pastors for the Church’s mission.

Born in Florence, Serena Noceti is one of the most authoritative voices in contemporary theology, and not only in Italy. She leads episcopal and presbyteral formation courses, especially in Latin America, and participates in conferences and specialized seminars across Europe and around the world. A laywoman, she earned a doctorate in theology from the Theological Faculty of Central Italy with a thesis on Wolfhart Pannenberg’s ecclesiology and has devoted her academic career to the study of the Church, the Second Vatican Council, gender theology, and pastoral theology.

She is currently a tenured professor of systematic theology at the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences “I Galantini”. in Florence and teaches at other academic institutions throughout Italy. Her expertise is recognized both nationally and internationally. She is a founding member of the Coordination of Italian Women Theologians (CTI) and vice-president of the Italian Theological Association (ATI).

Her scholarly work is extensive and highly regarded. Among her most significant publications is Treatise on the Church, which was co-authored with Severino Dianich, a priest and theologian who devoted his research to the theme of the Church. The volume, published in 2002 and still in print, and considered one of the foundational texts of contemporary ecclesiology.

She has also edited major collective works, such as Tantum aurora est. Women and Vatican II (2012), and the monumental Commentary on the Documents of Vatican II in nine volumes (2014–2017). Together with Venezuelan theologian Rafael Luciani, she is currently co-editing a series of 27 booklets (Cuadernillos), in Spanish and Italian, to accompany the implementation of the Synod on Synodality. Her 2017 book Deaconesses: What Ministry for What Church? addresses one of the most debated issues in the contemporary Church.

Noceti’s decision to dedicate herself to theology has deep and meaningful roots. As she recounts, a decisive moment occurred during a retreat at the University of Central America in San Salvador, at the tombs of the six martyred Jesuits, including ecclesiologist Ignacio Ellacuría. This encounter with the sacrifice of theologians committed to social justice profoundly shaped her vision of a “theology capable of radical engagement for the good of all”.

Today, the Florentine theologian, and collaborator of Women Church World is described as “one of the most committed scholars to renewal”, and embodies a generation of women who have combined rigorous academic expertise with authentic ecclesial engagement.