Pope Leo has appointed the first lay woman to a top position in the governance of the Roman Catholic church. Maria Montserrat Alvarado, president of the US-based Catholic media outlet EWTN News, will lead the Vatican's powerful communications department. This department, established by the late Pope Francis in 2015, oversees the Vatican's news site, radio station, newspaper, press office, publishing house, and film library.
A Historic Appointment
Alvarado, born in Mexico City and a US citizen since 2008, will begin her role on 1 November, replacing Paolo Ruffini, who is retiring, the Vatican announced. While nuns and lay women have held influential roles within the Roman curia, she is "the first nonreligious woman to be appointed prefect of a dicastery of the Holy See," according to Vatican News.
In a statement, Alvarado described the appointment as "unexpected" but said she received it "with a sincere desire to serve the Holy Father as he begins his pontificate." She added: "I am grateful to Paolo Ruffini for his leadership throughout the last years and look forward to continuing, in friendship and hope, the important work of strengthening the dicastery so it may continue to serve the church in Rome and everywhere to communicate Christ to the world."
Continuity with Pope Francis's Legacy
Alvarado's appointment signals that Pope Leo, the first US-born pontiff elected in May last year, is continuing along the path initiated by Francis. During his 12-year papacy, Francis made strides in boosting the female workforce in the Vatican and appointed several lay women to top governance roles. In the months before his death, Francis named two nuns — Raffaella Petrini and Simona Brambilla — to top positions while criticizing the "chauvinistic mentality" within the Catholic church.
Francis also modernized the Vatican's communication, making its messaging style less formal and more accessible. Pope Leo has indicated he wants to make changes as well, summoning cardinals to the Vatican in late June for a meeting to "reassess the effectiveness of ecclesial communication, including at the level of the Holy See, from a more explicitly missionary perspective."
"Even when the church finds herself in a minority, she is called to live with confident courage, as a small flock bringing hope to all, mindful that the aim of mission is not its own survival, but the communication of the love with which God loves the world," Pope Leo wrote in a letter to his cardinals announcing the meeting.
Alvarado's Background
Alvarado joined EWTN as a news anchor and has served as president and chief operating officer since 2023. Notably, Pope Francis criticized the network on more than one occasion in response to some of its programming that criticized elements of his papacy. Her appointment represents a significant step in the Vatican's ongoing efforts to include more lay people, especially women, in its governance.
