Pope Names Mexican-American Broadcasting Executive to Lead Vatican Communications
The first lay woman to lead the Vatican office will oversee a communications overhaul as cardinals prepare to reassess its mission later this month.
- On Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV appointed Maria Montserrat Alvarado, President and Chief Operating Officer of EWTN News, as Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication. She becomes the first lay woman to hold this senior Church role.
- Alvarado succeeds Paolo Ruffini, who is retiring at age 70 after eight years as the first lay prefect. Established by Pope Francis in 2015, the Dicastery oversees Vatican media, radio, and publishing operations.
- Born in Mexico City and educated in the United States, Alvarado has led EWTN News since 2023. The network, a global media conglomerate operating in seven languages, often appeals to conservative U.S. Catholics.
- Effective November 1, 2026, Alvarado will assume her duties as the transition process begins immediately. Ruffini expressed gratitude for the "journey we have taken together over these eight years" before passing the baton.
- Pope Leo XIV has summoned cardinals later this month to "reassess the effectiveness of ecclesial communication" from a more explicitly missionary perspective. The appointment reflects his broader goal to reform how the Catholic Church communicates its message.
72 Articles
72 Articles
Pope Leo XIV today appointed Mexican media executive María Montserrat Alvarado at the head of the Vatican’s powerful communications department, making her the first lay woman to hold a position in the Roman Curia. Alvarado, currently president and director of operations of the Catholic news service EWTN News, will take office on November 1, reported the Vatican in a statement. He was born in Mexico City and studied in the United States. Vatican …
Maria Montserrat Alvarado was appointed head of the Dicastery for Communications by Pope Leo XIV.
Pope Leo XIV revolutionizes Vatican communication. The Pope puts an end to the mandate of Paolo Ruffini and appoints Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication a secular woman, journalist Maria Montserrat Alvarado. Who is the new Prefect Better known as Montse Alvarado, was born in Mexico City but a US citizen since 2008. Since 2023 he is president and Chief Operating Officer of the conservative American Catholic network EWTN News, information d…
On Tuesday, 2 May, Pope Leon XVI appointed a lay woman, Maria Montserrat Alvarado, to lead a "Vatican ministry, for the first time in the history of the Catholic Church. Article A lay woman takes on a role equivalent to that of a minister at the Vatican. The historical decision taken by Pope Leon XIV first appears in Romania TV.
Pope Leo XIV names EWTN’s Montse Alvarado as prefect of Vatican Dicastery for Communication
(OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV appointed Maria Montserrat “Montse” Alvarado, president and chief operating officer of EWTN News, as prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication on June 2. Alvarado, a Mexican-American Catholic who grew up in Miami, will succeed Paolo Ruffini, whom Pope Francis appointed in 2018 as the first lay prefect of a dicastery. She will assume the post Nov. 1. She will be the first laywoman ever to lead a dicastery of t…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 38% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
