Pope Leo XIV has taken a historic step in reforming the Vatican's communications by appointing Maria Montserrat Alvarado, a Mexican-American media executive, as the new prefect of the Dicastery of Communications. This appointment makes her the first woman and layperson to lead this powerful office, which oversees the Holy See's extensive media operations, including television, radio, online platforms, publishing, and its newspaper, with one of the largest budgets in the Vatican.
A groundbreaking appointment
Alvarado, currently president and chief operating officer of EWTN News—the world's largest Catholic media organization—will succeed the previous prefect. Her appointment continues a trend set by Pope Francis, who elevated several women to leadership roles within the traditionally male-dominated Vatican hierarchy. Pope Leo XIV, who was born in Chicago, has expressed a desire to reform how the Catholic Church communicates globally. He has convened cardinals for a meeting later this month to reassess the effectiveness of ecclesial communication from a more missionary perspective.
Alvarado's background
Alvarado's career includes leadership at EWTN News, which operates in Washington, D.C., and produces content in seven languages across television, radio, online, and publishing. The EWTN family includes outlets like the Catholic News Agency and National Catholic Register, known for their generally conservative stance. Before joining EWTN as a news anchor, she held leadership positions at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, an organization involved in church-state legal battles in the United States.
This appointment carries notable historical context. During Pope Francis's pontificate, EWTN's programming frequently featured English-speaking critics of the Argentine pope. In 2021, Francis publicly condemned such media criticism as 'the work of the devil,' comments widely understood to be aimed at EWTN. Pope Leo XIV's choice of Alvarado may signal a new era of communication strategy for the Vatican.
