Pope Leo XIV, on Wednesday, appointed Nigerian priest, Father Anthony Onyemuche Ekpo, as the new assessor for general affairs in the Vatican Secretariat of State.

Ekpo, 44, takes over from Father Roberto Campisi, who was named the Holy See’s permanent observer to UNESCO in September. In his new position, he will oversee the activities of Catholic international organisations affiliated with the Vatican.

The Nigerian-born priest began serving the Holy See in 2016 and spent six years with the Secretariat of State’s Section for General Affairs between 2016 and 2023.

In 2023, Pope Francis appointed him undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, where he assisted the prefect, Cardinal Michael Czerny.

Expressing gratitude to his colleagues at the dicastery, Ekpo thanked them “for their friendship and shared work over these years” and prayed for the grace to carry out his new responsibilities with “joy, passion, and dedication,” according to Vatican News.

“My desire is to be able to collaborate with the superiors and employees of the dicastery, to advance the vision of the dicastery and the mission of the Church,” he told Vatican News.

Ordained for the Diocese of Umuahia, Abia State, in 2011, Ekpo continued his theological and canonical studies abroad.

He earned a doctorate in systematic theology from the Australian Catholic University in 2013 and a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 2021.

He is fluent in English, Italian, French, and Igbo.

LEADERSHIP recalls that earlier this month, Pope Leo also appointed another Nigerian priest, Father Edward Daniang Daleng, as vice regent of the Papal Household—one of the highest roles in the Vatican office responsible for organising papal audiences.