Tanzanian cleric appointed to top Vatican charity post
What you need to know:
- Cleric Mbena will be responsible for overseeing humanitarian aid and pastoral care for the poor and vulnerable.
Dar es Salaam. Pope Leo XIV has appointed Tanzanian cleric Romanus Mbena as Head of the Office of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, a prestigious role within the global Catholic Church.
Following the appointment, cleric Mbena will be responsible for overseeing humanitarian aid and pastoral care for the poor and vulnerable.
According to a Vatican statement, the appointment takes effect on 1 June 2025.
Mbena assumes the post following many years of dedicated service within the Church’s diplomatic corps.
Before this, Monsignor Mbena served as First Counsellor at various Vatican embassies and worked within the Secretariat of State.
He began his diplomatic career in 1995, three years after his ordination as a priest in 1992 under the Catholic Diocese of Morogoro.
Over the course of his diplomatic mission, Monsignor Mbena has served in multiple countries, including Zambia, Panama, Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Sudan, Ethiopia, India, and Albania.
This extensive international experience has placed him among the select clergy entrusted with senior positions in the Vatican’s governance.
The Dicastery for the Service of Charity—also known as the Office of Papal Charities—is responsible for coordinating and distributing aid from the Holy Father to the poor, marginalised, and victims of major disasters worldwide.
The office collaborates with other Vatican departments to ensure assistance reaches those in need effectively and efficiently.
