U.S. media executive becomes first laywoman to lead Vatican communications

Maria Montserrat Alvarado, a 39-year-old U.S. media executive, has been appointed as the new head of Vatican communications, becoming the first laywoman to lead a Vatican ministry, CBS News reported.

Alvarado, who is Mexican American, will oversee the Vatican's television, radio, and print operations, as well as its press office. She is also the first non-Italian to hold this position.

Her appointment, announced in June, was described by Alvarado as an appointment from the Holy Father, U.S.-born Pope Leo XIV. She said she did not go through a standard application process.

Prior to this role, Alvarado served as president and chief operating officer of EWTN News, the news division of the Eternal Word Television Network, a major Catholic television network in the U.S. known for its conservative stance.

Born in Mexico and raised in Miami, Alvarado has a background in religious liberty advocacy, having worked for 14 years at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a nonprofit law firm defending religious freedom.