Pope Leo has appointed Monsignor Anthony Onyemuche Ekpo as the Assessor for General Affairs in the Vatican Secretariat of State.
Before this latest promotion, Msgr Ekpo worked as undersecretary at the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Msgr Ekpo, who hails from the Umuahia Diocese, was born in Umudike on 24 September 1981 and was ordained a priest on 30 July 2011.
This marks the second major Vatican appointment given to a Nigerian within the month. Earlier, Pope Leo selected Fr. Edward Daleng from Plateau State as Vice Regent of the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household, where he will assist in managing the Pope’s non-liturgical engagements and daily activities.
Ekpo holds qualifications in systematic theology and canon law. He began working for the Holy See on 5 September 2016 as an official in the Section for General Affairs. He later became undersecretary at the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development on 18 April 2023.
His elevation makes him the third-highest officer in the Section for General Affairs, ranking directly below the Secretary of State and the Substitute for General Affairs.
In his new capacity as Assessor, he will support the Substitute in supervising the Church’s daily administrative operations, including curial work, appointments, the publication of official documents, diplomatic matters, and the management of the papal seal and the Fisherman’s Ring.
The section is also responsible for assisting papal nuncios globally in issues that concern the local church.
