Pope Leo XIV has appointed a Mexico-born media executive, Maria Montserrat Alvarado, as head of the Vatican’s communications department, marking the first time a lay woman will lead a department of the Roman Curia.

The Vatican announced on Tuesday that Alvarado, who is currently president of the Catholic media organisation EWTN News, will assume her new role on November 1.

Born in Mexico City and educated in the United States, Alvarado brings extensive experience in Catholic media management and international communications.

The Vatican News service described the appointment as part of ongoing reforms within the Holy See, noting that it continues the institutional changes initiated under the late Pope Francis.

According to the statement, Alvarado becomes the first non-religious woman to be appointed prefect of a dicastery within the Vatican administration.

The Dicastery for Communication oversees the Holy See’s global media operations, including its print, radio, television, and digital platforms, as well as the Vatican press office.

The appointment comes amid broader efforts to modernise Vatican communications and expand the Church’s global outreach.

In the years leading up to his death on April 21 last year, Pope Francis appointed several women to senior Vatican roles and publicly criticised what he described as a “chauvinistic mentality” within parts of the Church.

Among those appointments were Sister Raffaella Petrini, who became president of the Vatican City State governorate, and Sister Simona Brambilla, who was named to head the department overseeing Catholic religious orders worldwide.