Nigerian priest, Rev. Fr. Edward Daniang Daleng, OSA, has been appointed Vice Regent of the Prefecture of the Papal Household by Pope Leo XIV. The Vatican office is tasked with organizing papal audiences, ceremonies, and official events, as well as coordinating liturgies, spiritual retreats for the Holy Father, meetings of the College of Cardinals and the Roman Curia, and papal visits within Rome and across Italy.
Fr. Daniang, a member of the Order of St. Augustine and a close associate of Pope Leo XIV, previously served as General Councilor and most recently as Procurator General of the order, managing 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 earned a doctorate in Moral Theology from the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy in Rome, completing 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 strengthened after Daniang moved to Rome in 2002 and deepened further following Pope Leo’s election.
Speaking on his new appointment, Fr. Daniang described Pope Leo XIV as a humble and simple man with deep affection for Africa, noting that the Pope visited Nigeria at least ten times during his tenure as Prior General.