Montse Alvarado will assume the prefecture of the Dicastery for Communication of the Holy See on November 1 and will become the first laywoman to preside over a dicastery. This was explained by the former president of EWTN News in an interview with presenter Colm Flynn on the program «EWTN News In Depth,» whose full transcript was published by the National Catholic Register on October 24, just days before she takes office.
Alvarado, born in Mexico City and settled in the United States since childhood, was appointed by Leo XIV on June 2, as reported by InfoVaticana, and will succeed Paolo Ruffini. The Pope received her in audience on August 3, according to the bulletin of the Holy See Press Office. Before her time at the Catholic network, which she joined in 2021, she worked for fourteen years at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
In the interview, Alvarado stated that she was not on the Holy See’s radar and that the appointment was not the result of her own candidacy: «I did not apply. I was not chosen,» she affirmed. She added that «the fact that God can use me as an instrument for something so great is incredibly humbling,» and described her career as «a surrender to Jesus Christ and His Church.» When asked if it was a personal aspiration, she replied: «No, but it is what I am called to do.»
Regarding the reasons for her selection, she suggested that the Pope was looking for «a clear, next-generation professional» and expressed her desire to «fill that gap,» although she clarified that she does not believe that is the reason. She linked her arrival to EWTN’s collaboration with the Holy See in major events, including the live dialogue of Leo XIV with young people from Indianapolis in November 2025. Of the Pontiff, she said that «he is a great listener» and that he has asked them to «enter into dialogue.»
Regarding her role, she stated that «communicating Christ to the world is the mandate of the dicastery» and that her role consists of receiving a vision and executing it: «I am very willing to receive it and to execute it.» She also explained that they will apply analytics to better understand the needs of the Church, acknowledged that she works in Italian because she knows it is important, and admitted that she is «one who pushes hard.» In response to criticism of her position, she noted that «every Catholic who has read the Catechism and the Bible knows what I believe.»
The portal Silere non possum, for its part, published an article on October 24 stating that Alvarado’s arrival at Palazzo Pio marks the end of ordinary activity in the dicastery after Ruffini’s years. According to the outlet, the future prefect has already reviewed the dicastery’s organizational charts with the Pope and reportedly said that she has no intention of «dismantling anything» and that she is in a listening phase. The text, clearly critical in tone toward the outgoing team, is an assessment by the outlet itself: it maintains that there are people in positions that do not correspond to them and that those who have treated the offices as their own will have a harder time from November 1. Alvarado has not announced any specific changes.
The dicastery coordinates the media of the Holy See, including Vatican News, L’Osservatore Romano, the Press Office, and the Vatican publishing house. At 39 years old, Alvarado will be the youngest prefect of the Roman Curia.