Pope names first lay woman to lead Vatican communications office

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV has appointed Mexico-born media executive Maria Montserrat Alvarado to head the Vatican’s communications department, making her the first lay woman to lead a dicastery in the Roman Curia, according to a Vatican statement issued on Tuesday.

Alvarado, who is currently president of EWTN News, is due to assume the role on Nov 1. Born in Mexico City, she studied in the United States. Vatican News said the appointment was continuing reforms begun under Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor.

The Vatican news service said Alvarado is the first non-religious woman to be named prefect of a dicastery of the Holy See. The Dicastery for Communication supervises the Vatican’s extensive print, radio and television operations, which serve audiences around the world. It also oversees the Vatican press office.

Before his death on April 21 last year, Pope Francis had appointed two nuns to senior Vatican posts and had criticised what he described as a chauvinistic mentality within the Catholic Church. Sister Raffaella Petrini was named president of the governorate of Vatican City state, while Sister Simona Brambilla was appointed to lead the Vatican department responsible for Catholic religious orders and congregations worldwide.