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Pope Leo greets crowd in first public prayer since cancer surgery

Maria Montserrat Alvarado has become the first woman to lead the Vatican ’s Dicastery for Communications, officially taking over as prefect on 1 November.

Appointed by Pope Leo XIV to succeed Paolo Ruffini, the Mexican-American former head of EWTN News brings a looser, more informal approach to Holy See communications.

Pope Leo XIV praised Alvarado’s experience and liveliness, saying her appointment will help reform Vatican communications from an explicitly missionary perspective.

The dicastery is one of the Holy See’s largest and costliest departments, overseeing press, digital, radio, print, and television operations across multiple languages.

Alvarado said that her primary focus in the role will be communicating the Catholic faith and executing the Pope's vision rather than imposing her own agenda.

In full Pope Leo introduces the Vatican’s new communications chief

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