By Abiola Olawale
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, has appointed Rev. Fr. Edward Daniang Daleng, O.S.A., a Nigerian priest, as the new Vice Regent of the Prefecture of the Papal Household.
The appointment elevates Fr. Daleng to the second-highest position in the Vatican office responsible for managing the Pope’s public and private life.
The New Diplomat reports that the prefecture of the papal household is one of the Vatican’s oldest offices. It oversees the pope’s engagements and ensures that they proceed with precision, decorum, and in line with tradition.
As vice regent, Daleng will work alongside Leonardo Sapienza, an archbishop and the regent, to organise the pope’s private and public audiences, including meetings with heads of state, diplomats, and church leaders.
Daleng will also play a role in coordinating official visits and papal ceremonies, and overseeing the operations of the papal apartments and logistics surrounding Leo’s daily life.
The Praedicate Evangelium provides that the prefecture be composed of a prefect and a regent, assisted by several officials.
Daleng previously served as general counsellor and procurator general of the Order of Saint Augustine in Rome, a position that required him to liaise between Augustinian provinces worldwide and represent the Order before the Holy See.
He was born on April 4, 1977, in Yitla’ar, Kwalla, Plateau State.
Daleng was ordained a priest on September 10, 2005, and obtained a doctorate in moral theology from the Alphonsian Academy in 2012.
