Historic Appointment: Maria Montserrat Alvarado Becomes First Mexican-American to Lead Vatican Communications

Pope Leo XIV has initiated a significant change in the Vatican’s communication strategy by appointing the Mexican-American leader of EWTN News, a major Catholic media organization in the United States, as the new head of its communication department.

Maria Montserrat Alvarado steps into the role previously held by Paolo Ruffini as the prefect of the Dicastery of Communications. This department oversees the Vatican’s broad media reach, including television, radio, online platforms, publishing, and newspapers, and commands one of the Vatican’s largest budgets.

With this appointment, Pope Leo XIV continues a trend set by his predecessor, Pope Francis, who had several women take on leadership roles within the Vatican’s traditionally male-dominated clerical structure.

Originally from Chicago, Pope Leo XIV has expressed a desire to revitalize the Catholic Church’s global communication efforts. He has called for a meeting with cardinals later this month to evaluate the effectiveness of the Church’s communication strategies, emphasizing a more mission-oriented approach.

Alvarado, who currently serves as the president and chief operating officer of EWTN News, leads an organization that claims to be the world’s largest Catholic media network. Based in Washington, D.C., EWTN operates across television, radio, online, and publishing mediums in seven languages. Known for its conservative leanings, EWTN encompasses the Catholic News Agency, National Catholic Register, and ACI Group news agencies, among others.

Hailing from Mexico City, Alvarado began her career at EWTN as a news anchor. She previously held leadership roles at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, an organization known for its legal advocacy in the United States to safeguard religious freedoms.

During Pope Francis’ pontificate, EWTN’s programming often featured English-speaking critics of the Argentine pope. In 2021, Francis blasted such media criticism as “the work of the devil” in comments widely interpreted as being directed at EWTN.

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