- Maria Montserrat Alvarado has become the first woman to lead the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communications, officially taking over as prefect on 1 November.
- Appointed by Pope Leo XIV to succeed Paolo Ruffini, the Mexican-American former head of EWTN News brings a looser, more informal approach to Holy See communications.
- Pope Leo XIV praised Alvarado’s experience and liveliness, saying her appointment will help reform Vatican communications from an explicitly missionary perspective.
- The dicastery is one of the Holy See’s largest and costliest departments, overseeing press, digital, radio, print, and television operations across multiple languages.
- Alvarado said that her primary focus in the role will be communicating the Catholic faith and executing the Pope's vision rather than imposing her own agenda.
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