Pope Leo XIV has appointed Mexican-American media executive Maria Montserrat Alvarado to lead the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, making her the first laywoman to head a major department of the Roman Catholic Church.
Alvarado, 39, officially assumed office on November 1, succeeding Paolo Ruffini, who led the department since 2018. Her appointment marks a significant development in the Vatican’s leadership, where senior positions have traditionally been occupied by men, particularly ordained clergy.
The Dicastery for Communication oversees the Vatican’s media operations, including its television, radio, print and digital platforms, as well as the Holy See Press Office.
Alvarado, popularly known as Montse, is also the first non-Italian to lead the department. Her appointment was announced by the pope on June 2.
Speaking about the appointment in an interview with EWTN News, where she previously served as president and chief operating officer, Alvarado said she had not applied for the position.
“I didn’t apply; I wasn’t chosen” through a standard application process, she said, describing the decision as an appointment made directly by the pope.
Her selection has drawn attention from observers who see it as a sign of changing attitudes towards women’s leadership within the Catholic Church.
Lucetta Scaraffia, a professor of history at Rome’s La Sapienza University and founder of the Vatican women’s magazine Women Church World, said Alvarado’s professional experience made her suitable for the role.
“She is a highly accomplished communications manager,” Scaraffia said, adding that Alvarado had built her career through her own efforts.
Scaraffia also said the appointment reflected a different approach to women’s leadership at the Vatican, where women in senior positions have often been religious sisters.
Alvarado previously worked for 14 years at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-profit law firm that advocates for religious freedom.
She joined EWTN News in 2021 as a presenter before becoming its president and chief operating officer in 2023. At the organisation, she oversaw media platforms producing content in seven languages across television, print, radio, digital media and social networks.
Born in Mexico, Alvarado moved to the United States as a child and grew up in Miami before relocating to Washington for her studies.
Her appointment follows efforts by previous popes to expand women’s participation in Vatican leadership.
Pope Francis appointed Sister Simona Brambilla as prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in January 2025, making her the first woman to lead a Vatican dicastery.
