Maria Montserrat Alvarado appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication

Exam-focused facts from the 3 June 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Pope Leo XIV appointed Maria Montserrat Alvarado to head the Vatican's communications department.
Alvarado is the first lay woman to hold a post in the Roman Curia and the first non-religious woman appointed as prefect of a dicastery of the Holy See.
She will assume the post on November 1 and currently serves as the president of the Catholic media outlet EWTN News.
Alvarado was born in Mexico City and studied in the United States.
The Dicastery for Communication manages the Vatican press office and its global print, radio, and television services.