Pope Leo XIV has appointed Msgr. Anthony Onyemuche Ekpo, until now undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, as assessor for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State.

The Nigerian priest thus becomes the chief assistant to Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, who, as the Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, coordinates the internal affairs of the Roman Curia. Msgr. Ekpo succeeds Msgr. Roberto Campisi, now Permanent Observer to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Pope Leo also appointed Msgr. Mihăiţă Blaj, a Romanian priest who works in the Secretariat of State, as undersecretary of the Section for Relations with States and International Organizations of the Secretariat of State. He thus becomes one of two undersecretaries who assist Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations (or Vatican “foreign minister”), in his work.

Msgr. Blaj succeeds Msgr. (now Archbishop) Mirosław Wachowski, who was recently appointed apostolic nuncio to Iraq.

The Governorate of the Vatican City State and the Labor Office of the Apostolic See organized a seminar on abuse prevention on November 20.

The seminar’s purpose, according to Vatican News, was to encourage “the entire Holy See working community to remain vigilant,” not only externally, but also within the walls of the Vatican.

Archbishop Emilio Nappa, Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State; Msgr. Marco Sprizzi, president of the Labor Office of the Apostolic See; and Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, were among the speakers at the event.

Pope Leo XIV traveled by helicopter to the Umbrian town of Montefalco, where he celebrated Mass at a monastery of Augustinian nuns.

The November 20 papal visit followed the Pope’s prayer at the tomb of St. Francis in Assisi, 35 miles away, and his address in Assisi to the Italian bishops.

Gunmen attacked Christ Apostolic Church, a Protestant church in Eruku in Nigeria’s Kwara State, killing three and kidnapping 38.

All 38 subsequently regained their freedom.

The Vatican Apostolic Library announced the signing of an agreement with the Bibliothèque nationale de France [National Library of France]. The agreement, according to the announcement, “encourages professional exchange, digital cooperation, and the implementation of joint cultural and scientific initiatives between the two libraries.”

“Aware of the complementarity of some of their collections, particularly in the field of medieval manuscripts, the Vatican Library and the Bibliothèque nationale de France have chosen to strengthen their synergies, consolidating shared perspectives on scientific, technical, and documentary dialogue,” the announcement added.

A leading Vatican diplomat said that it is “imperative” for the International Labour Organization to return to its founding principles.

“The multilateral system is currently experiencing turbulent times,” Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, said at a meeting of governing body of the UN agency. “Amidst this turmoil, it is imperative to return to the principles on which this Organization was founded.”

Archbishop Balestrero explained:

The conviction that ‘all human beings […] have the right to pursue both their material well-being and their spiritual development in conditions of freedom and dignity’ and the ideal of ‘universal and lasting peace, based on social justice’ must be strongly reaffirmed.

Pope Leo XIV yesterday issued In Unitate Fidei, an apostolic letter on the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

Pope Leo recalled the Council’s historical context, emphasized the Nicene Creed’s profession of the divinity of Christ, and reflected on its ecumenical implications today. He also spoke about the relation between the Incarnation of the Son of God and His presence in the poor today.

The Pope also discussed the continuation of the Council of Nicaea’s work at the ecumenical councils of Constantinople (381) and Chalcedon (451). He rejected the charge that the word used in the Creed to describe the divinity of Christ—homooúsios, or consubstantial—represents a hellenization of the Christian faith.

Bangladeshi Catholics took part in a march for peace following bomb attacks on the cathedral in Dhaka, the nation’s capital, and on a Catholic school there.

Auxiliary Bishop Subroto Boniface Gomes of Dhaka said that participants in the silent march and sit-in for peace wished to “denounce the intimidation we have suffered and to say that, as a Christian community, we are ready to build an inclusive country that respects the dignity of all cultures, ethnicities, and religions, rejecting all forms of fundamentalism and violence.”

Bangladesh, a South Asian nation of 170 million (map), is the world’s 8th most populous nation; it is 89% Muslim and 9% Hindu.

Pope Leo XIV appealed yesterday for the release of priests, faithful, and students who have been abducted in Nigeria and Cameroon.

“I feel great pain, above all for the many young men and women who have been abducted and for their distressed families,” Pope Leo said during his Sunday Angelus address. “I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages and urge the competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their release.”

The Pontiff also recalled that World Youth Day was celebrated in the dioceses of the world on the feast of Christ the King. (The major international World Youth Days now take place every four years; the day is celebrated annually at the diocesan level in other years.)

“On the feast of Christ the King, I pray that every young person may discover the beauty and joy of following him, the Lord, and dedicating him or herself to his Kingdom of love, justice and peace,” the Pope said.

Citing St. Augustine’s reflections on singing, Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to the work of choirs as he celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Square for the feast of Christ the King, which coincided this year with the Jubilee of Choirs.

“Singing reminds us that we are a Church on a journey, an authentic synodal reality capable of sharing with everyone the vocation to praise and joy on this pilgrimage of love and hope,” Pope Leo preached. “Above all, dedicate yourselves to facilitating the participation of the people of God, without giving in to the temptation of ostentation, which prevents the entire liturgical assembly from actively participating in the singing.”