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Pope Leo XIV has appointed Monsignor Anthony Onyemuche Ekpo, on November 19, as the new Assessor for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, a section in which he had served almost six years before Pope Francis selected him as Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. The 44-year-old Nigerian-born theologian and canonist, was previously undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. He had previously worked in the Section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State. The new undersecretary of the Section for Relations with States and International Organizations has also been appointed.
Young and of Nigerian origin. This follows the recent appointment of Augustinian Father Edward Daniang Daleng, OSA, as the new vice-regent of the Prefecture of the Papal Household, Pope Leo XIV has chosen another priest from the African country for an important position in the Roman Curia:
BIOGRAPHY:
Born in Umudike, Nigeria, in 1981, the priest, ordained in 2011 and appointed chaplain to His Holiness in March 2023, earned a Doctorate in Systematic Theology from the Australian Catholic University in 2013, and a Doctorate in Canon Law from the Gregorian University in 2021. He entered the service of the Holy See as an official of the Section for General Affairs on September 5, 2016; in April 2023, he was appointed undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, assisting the work of the prefect, Cardinal Michael Czerny, the secretary, Sister Alessandra Smerilli, and the other undersecretary, Cardinal Fabio Baggio.
“My desire is to be able to collaborate with the superiors and employees of the Dicastery to carry forward the vision of the Dicastery and the mission of the Church,” said Monsignor Ekpo on the day of his appointment, taking leave of his leaders and colleagues, whom he thanked “for their friendship and the work shared over these years” and praying to God to always grant him “the grace to carry out, with joy, passion and dedication” his service to the Church.
Ekpo succeeds Monsignor Roberto Campisi, who was appointed last September 27 as the Holy See's permanent observer to UNESCO, also responsible for overseeing the activities of international Catholic organizations. The new assessor speaks four languages: in addition to English, Italian, and French, he also speaks Igbo, the native language of his homeland.
The new undersecretary of the Section for Relations with States
The Holy See Press Office also announced another appointment to the Secretariat of State: that of Monsignor Mihăiţă Blaj as the new undersecretary of the Section for Relations with States and International Organizations. A Romanian, born in Gherăeşti in 1978, Blaj was previously a Nunciature Counsellor serving in the same Section. He was ordained a priest on June 29, 2004; incardinated in Iaşi, Romania; and holds a degree in Theology. He entered the Holy See's diplomatic service on July 1, 2012, and was assigned to the Apostolic Nunciature in Ecuador as Attaché; transferred to the Apostolic Nunciature in Georgia on July 1, 2015; and transferred to the Apostolic Nunciature in Chad on January 5, 2019. Transferred to the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State on January 4, 2022. He speaks Italian, French, English, Spanish, and German.
Communication in the Secretariat of State
The appointments of both were announced this morning in the Library of the Secretariat of State by Cardinal Pietro Parolin at 12:00, immediately after the Angelus prayer. The ceremony was also attended by his substitute, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra; Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations; Monsignor Luciano Russo, Secretary of the Section for Diplomatic Personnel; and the officials and employees of the Secretariat of State.
Edited from Vatican Media
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