Posted by Chinenye on Mon 02nd Nov, 2026 - tori.ng
The Vatican has made an unexpected move by placing a woman in charge of a major department.
(Maria Alvarado. Photo by Punch News)
Maria Alvarado is a 39 year old media executive from the United States.
This week she becomes the head of Vatican communications, the first layperson to lead a Vatican department of this kind.
She is also the first non Italian to run the department, which oversees the Vatican's TV, radio and print operations, along with its press office.
Analysts say her appointment shows that Pope Leo sees women differently from his predecessors.
Until now, the women in top Vatican jobs were usually nuns.
Alvarado said she did not apply for the job.
She said it came as a personal appointment from Pope Leo XIV, which surprised her.
She has been president and chief operating officer of EWTN News since 2023.
EWTN is a large Catholic TV network in the United States, and it has not always got along well with the Vatican.
Some of its shows criticised Pope Francis, Leo's predecessor.
Alvarado was born in Mexico and grew up in Miami.
She spent 14 years at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a group that defends religious freedom.
She once hoped to get married and have children.
She was married, but is now divorced, and the Church has annulled the marriage.
She takes over from Paolo Ruffini, who was the first layperson to lead one of these Vatican departments.
Experts say she was chosen for her skills, and that her international background could bring a different approach to the job.