Don't hold your breath that we will see more of this elsewhere, though. Maria Vittoria Longhitano belongs to a small church that separated from the Roman Catholic church a few hundred years ago. BBC:
Mrs Longhitano, who will now be known as Mother Longhitano, said she hoped to break down what she described as prejudice in the Roman Catholic church.
"We are talking about an extremely hierarchical system; a male caste with a strong instinct of self-preservation," she said.
"And this is why there is this general attitude against ordaining women in the Church."
The Roman Catholic Church says it obeys the directives of Jesus Christ, whose 12 Apostles were all men.
