Pope Leo XIV appoints Augustinian from Nigeria as official of Papal Household Pope Leo XIV has appointed a longtime confrere and friend, Nigerian priest Edward Daniang Daleng, OSA, as vice regent of the Prefecture of the Papal Household, the second-highest position in the Vatican office that organizes audiences with the pope. The prefecture also takes care of the preparations related to papal ceremonies, the spiritual exercises of the Holy Father, and gatherings of the College of Cardinals and the Roman Curia. Furthermore, it handles the necessary arrangements whenever the Holy Father leaves the Apostolic Palace to visit places within Rome or Italy. Daniang has been a general councilor and, most recently, procurator general of the Order of St. Augustine \u2014 Pope Leo\u2019s religious order. As procurator general, the priest was responsible for preparing and carrying out the order\u2019s business with the Holy See. Born on April 4, 1977, in Yitla\u2019ar, Kwalla, Plateau state, in Nigeria, Daniang made his first profession in the Order of St. Augustine on Nov. 9, 2001, and his solemn vows on Nov. 13, 2004, at the age of 47. He was ordained a priest on Sept. 10, 2005, and was awarded a doctorate in moral theology from the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy in Rome in 2012, with a thesis on \u201cRespect for the Dignity and Care of Patients with Incurable and Terminal Illnesses.\u201d Daniang first met Pope Leo in 2001, when Father Robert Prevost, then prior general of the Augustinians, visited Nigeria. After moving to Rome in 2002, Daniang got to know Prevost even better. He told Valentina Di Donato of EWTN News in August that he and Prevost have had many occasions to meet and speak over the ensuing decades. \u201cSomething that struck me was his simplicity, his humility,\u201d Daniang said. \u201cThat is how he was, how he is.\u201d Speaking to Vatican News after the election of Pope Leo XIV, Daniang also said that \u201cAfrica is in [Leo\u2019s] heart\u201d and that when he was prior general of the Augustinians, then-Father Prevost visited Nigeria at least 10 times. \u201cTo understand how much my country mattered to him,\u201d the priest continued, \u201cjust remember that after becoming prior general on his 46th birthday, Sept. 14, he was already with us in Nigeria by November.\u201d Valentina Di Donato, a producer in the Vatican Bureau of EWTN News, contributed to this report. This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA\u2019s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA. Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today EWTN Vatican on WhatsApp Almudena Mart\u00ednez-Bordi\u00fa Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter. More news related to this article The Last 7 Words of Christ on the Cross Pope Leo XIV encourages stronger climate actions Cardinal Pell and the \u2018Demos\u2019 Memorandum How Pope Benedict XVI is Remembered in His Native Germany Pope Francis: Faith In God Is \u2018A Force That Sets Love In Motion\u2019 In The World PHOTOS: Pope Francis\u2019 first day in Mongolia<\/p>\n