In a historic shift for Roman Curia governance, 39-year-old Mexican-American media executive Maria Montserrat “Montse” Alvarado officially assumed her duties as Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication on Sunday, November 1, 2026. The appointment makes Alvarado both the first laywoman and the first non-Italian to lead the Holy See’s global media operations.
​The announcement was initially made at the Vatican Press Office in Rome on June 2, 2026, by order of Pope Leo XIV, following months of internal consultations regarding the modernization of the Holy See’s media infrastructure.
​Alvarado, who previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer of EWTN News since 2023 and worked extensively with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, noted that her selection bypassed standard administrative channels.
​”I didn’t apply; I wasn’t chosen through a standard application process,” Alvarado stated in an interview with EWTN News following the public release. “It was a direct appointment from the Holy Father.”
​Speaking during an inaugural briefing at the Palazzo Pio in Rome on Monday morning, Alvarado underscored her commitment to expanding the reach of Catholic media worldwide and bridging communication between the Holy See and global audiences across digital platforms.
​Under her new mandate as Prefect, Alvarado assumes comprehensive oversight of the entire Vatican media architecture. Her jurisdiction includes managing the Holy See Press Office, directing global broadcast initiatives through Vatican News and Vatican Radio, and overseeing the official daily newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.
Additionally, she will steer the publishing operations of the Vatican Media and Publishing House (Libreria Editrice Vaticana).
​Her appointment is the latest in a series of steps by the Holy See to place women in high-ranking executive roles.
While previous administrative reforms saw religious sisters appointed to leadership, such as Sister Simona Brambilla heading the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life, Alvarado’s tenure marks the first time a lay woman without religious vows will serve as a dicastery prefect. At 39, she also stands as the youngest prefect currently serving in the Roman Curia.
