Pope Leo appoints Maria Montserrat Alvarado as the first lay woman to lead the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication. The Vatican says she will take up the role on November 1. Alvarado is currently president of the US-based Catholic media outlet EWTN News and has experience leading Catholic broadcasting and related operations.
The Dicastery for Communication oversees a wide range of Vatican media activities, including the Vatican’s news website, radio programming, the press office, and other communication functions. Sources also describe additional responsibilities connected to Vatican communications, such as publishing and film-related resources.
Multiple outlets note that the office was established by Pope Francis in 2015 and that it is responsible for managing how the Vatican communicates with the public. The appointment is presented as a significant governance development because it places a lay woman at the head of a major Vatican department. The Vatican provides no suggestion in the reports that the appointment changes the department’s overall mandate, but it marks a historic moment in the Vatican’s leadership structure.
