Pope Leo XIV has appointed Romanian Monsignor Mihăiţă Blaj as undersecretary for Relations with States and Nigerian Monsignor Anthony Onyemuche Ekpo as assessor for General Affairs
Pope Leo XIV has appointed a Romanian priest, Mihăiţă Blaj, as undersecretary of the Section for Relations with States and International Organizations, and a Nigerian priest, Anthony Onyemuche Ekpo, as assessor for General Affairs — two strategic positions within the Secretariat of State, the Holy See Press Office announced on November 19, 2025.
This marks a significant renewal within this central organ of the Holy See, which assists the pope in his daily work interacting with the globe, and oversees the vast network of Vatican diplomacy.
The Assessor serves as the right-hand man to the Substitute — currently Msgr. Edgar Peña Parra — who leads the First Section (General Affairs).
The Undersecretary of the Section for Relations with States and International Organizations assists the Secretary of the Second Section (Relations with States), currently Msgr. Paul Richard Gallagher.
Both sections are headed by the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, appointed by Pope Francis in 2013 and reconfirmed by Leo XIV after his election this past May 8.
Biographies
The new Assessor, Msgr. Anthony Onyemuche Ekpo, is 44 years old. Born in Umudike, this Nigerian priest joined the General Affairs Section in 2016, before being appointed Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development by Pope Francis in 2023. He succeeds Msgr. Roberto Campisi, who was named Permanent Observer of the Holy See to UNESCO on December 27 of last year.
Msgr. Mihăiţă Blaj, for his part, becomes Undersecretary of the Section for Relations with States and International Organizations at age 47. This Romanian priest, originally from Gherăeşti, entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 2012. After serving in the nunciatures of Ecuador, Georgia, and Chad, he had been working since 2022 in Rome within the Section for Relations with States, holding the rank of Counsellor of Nunciature.
Both newly appointed officials hold the title of monsignor and remain priests, as their new responsibilities are not tied to episcopal ordination. They speak French, English, and Italian. Msgr. Blaj also speaks Spanish and German, while Msgr. Onyemuche Ekpo is fluent in Igbo, a Nigerian language.
