Pope Leo Taps Pro-Life American Media Exec To Lead Vatican Communications

Pope Leo XIV appointed an American Catholic media executive with a strong pro-life and religious liberty background to lead Vatican communications Tuesday.

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Maria Montserrat Alvarado, the president and chief operating officer of Eternal Word Television Network News (EWTN), will be the first laywoman to assume a leadership role in the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication in November, according to the Vatican. (RELATED: Faith Organization Offers Surprisingly Simple Way To Get People Back In Pews)

Alvarado has led the conservative Catholic news group since 2023, expanding its multiplatform operations across several languages.

Before her time at EWTN, Alvarado worked at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty beginning in 2009. The organization tackles religious liberty issues in the courts, the public sphere and the academy. She eventually became the team’s chief operating officer, according to The Pillar.

“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 reported by The Pillar.

Alvarado was born in Mexico City and studied in the U.S., earning degrees from Florida International University and George Washington University. She has also received numerous national recognitions for her commitment to religious freedom, church service and writing, according to EWTN.

Alvarado has spoken at and covered pro-life events, according to Benedictine College, a school recognized for its commitment to traditional Catholic teaching and on whose board of directors she serves.

Alvarado is set to take over the role filled by Paolo Ruffini, who has served in the position since 2018, EWTN said.

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Alvarado said she was grateful to Ruffini “for his leadership throughout the last years” and looked forward to “continuing, in friendship and hope, the important work of strengthening the dicastery so it may continue to serve the Church in Rome and everywhere to communicate Christ to the world,” in a statement shared by The Pillar.

Ruffini, who is set to retire in October, offered his own remarks, saying he would “pass the baton” to Alvarado.

“I am grateful to the big family of the dicastery,” Ruffini said, “for the journey we have taken together over these eight years. We are beginning now the process over the coming months for a smooth transition in order to help the dicastery continue to grow in service to the Holy Father and in its mission of serving in a spirit of unity and openness.”

There has been a period of tension between the Trump administration and the Vatican, with reports suggesting — and involved parties denying — that the Pentagon had tried to strong-arm the Holy See.

After the Vatican’s media team attempted to dismiss those claims, President Donald Trump took to social media, posting a tirade against Leo and asking him to stay out of politics, specifically the war in Iran.

Alvarado’s ties to the U.S. and her conservative leanings may play a role in the U.S.-Vatican relationship going forward.

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