Pope Leo XIV has appointed Nigerian cleric, Rev. Fr. Edward Daniang Daleng, OSA, as the Vice Regent of the Prefecture of the Papal Household — the Vatican office in charge of organizing papal audiences, ceremonies, and official events.

The Prefecture also oversees papal liturgies, the Holy Father’s spiritual retreats, meetings of the College of Cardinals and the Roman Curia, as well as arrangements for papal visits within Rome and across Italy.

Fr. Daniang, a member of the Order of St. Augustine and a close aide to Pope Leo, previously served as General Councilor and, most recently, as Procurator General of the order, where he handled its official relations with the Holy See.

Born on April 4, 1977, in Yitla’ar, Kwalla, Plateau State, Nigeria, Daniang joined the Augustinian order in 2001, made his solemn profession in 2004, and was ordained a priest in 2005.

He holds a doctorate in Moral Theology from the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy in Rome, where he completed a dissertation on the dignity and care of patients with terminal illnesses.

Fr. Daniang first met Pope Leo in 2001, when the then–Father Robert Prevost visited Nigeria as Prior General of the Augustinians.

Their friendship continued after Daniang moved to Rome in 2002 and deepened over the years.

Following Pope Leo’s election, Daniang described him as a humble and simple man with deep affection for Africa, recalling that as Prior General, he visited Nigeria at least ten times.