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Pope Leo has appointed Monsignor Anthony Onyemuche Ekpo as Assessor for General Affairs in the Vatican Secretariat of State.
Until his elevation, Msgr Ekpo served as undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Msgr Ekpo, a priest of the Umuahia Diocese, was born in Umudike on 24 September 1981 and ordained on 30 July 2011.
The appointment is the second major Vatican role given to a Nigerian this month. Earlier, Pope Leo named Fr Edward Daleng of Plateau State as Vice Regent of the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household, where he will help coordinate the Pope’s non-liturgical activities and engagements.
Ekpo holds degrees in systematic theology and canon law and joined the Holy See on 5 September 2016 as an official in the Section for General Affairs. He became undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development on 18 April 2023.
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His new role makes him the third-highest-ranking official in the Section for General Affairs, after the Secretary of State and the Substitute for General Affairs.
As Assessor, he will support the Substitute in coordinating the daily operations of the Church, including curial activities, appointments, publication of official documents, diplomatic concerns, and oversight of the papal seal and Fisherman’s Ring.
The section also assists nuncios worldwide in matters related to the local church.
