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Pope Leo XIV has named Maria Montserrat “Montse” Alvarado, who currently serves as the President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of EWTN News, as the next Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication.
In its June 2 daily bulletin, the Vatican announced that Alvarado’s appointment will take effect on November 1. The president of the conservative Catholic media outlet will notably be the first laywoman to lead a Roman curia office and will continue the trajectory of Pope Leo and his predecessor, Pope Francis, of naming women and laypeople to key positions in the Vatican.
Just over a year ago, Pope Leo XIV’s first meeting with Maria Montserrat Alvarado, his newly appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication. pic.twitter.com/2Aqo9fL4bh
— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) June 2, 2026
“While this appointment was unexpected, I receive it with a sincere desire to serve the Holy Father as he begins his pontificate,” Alvarado said in a statement after the appointment.