Lucy Afandi Esipila has been appointed as a Consultor to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development by Pope Leo XIV.
Afandi was among 12 new Consultors appointed by the Pope on August 18, 2026.
She joins a group of experts selected to provide advice and specialised knowledge to the Vatican department.
The appointment places Afandi in an advisory role within one of the major departments of the Roman Curia, the central administrative structure of the Catholic Church.
A dicastery is broadly equivalent to a major department of the Vatican, with each responsible for a particular area of the Church’s work.
The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development focuses on issues including poverty, migration, healthcare, environmental protection, humanitarian assistance and human development.
Afandi’s appointment comes against the backdrop of her experience in development, advocacy and humanitarian work, areas closely connected to the dicastery’s responsibilities.
She currently serves as the Regional Coordinator of Caritas Africa, where she became the first woman and youngest person to hold the position.
In the role, Afandi has worked on advocacy involving ecological justice, agroecology and multilateral cooperation, among other development-related issues.
Her experience places her at the intersection of development, environmental concerns and humanitarian action, areas that are increasingly central to global policy and the Catholic Church’s social mission.
The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development was established by Pope Francis on August 17, 2016, through an apostolic letter.
It brought together the work of four previously existing Pontifical Councils dealing with justice and peace, charity, migrants and itinerant people, and healthcare workers.
The dicastery formally began its operations on January 1, 2017.
Afandi will serve alongside the other newly appointed Consultors, who include clergy and experts from several countries.
According to the dicastery, consultors contribute their human, scientific, pastoral and ecclesial expertise to its work.
They provide opinions and insights on matters requiring particular attention, helping the dicastery assess and respond to complex issues within its mandate.
The consultors include Rev. Monsignor Peter Klasvogt of Italy, Rev. Francesco Coluccia of Italy, Rev. Emmanuel Katongole of the United States, Rev. Joseph Jeyaraj Swaminathan and Omer S. Combary of Burkina Faso.
Others are Paolo Foglizzo of Italy, Peter G. Kirchschläger of Switzerland, Kathryn A. Koch of the United States, Jacqueline Remond of Australia, Caren Rodrigues of India and Clemens Sedmak of the United States.
Afandi’s appointment also gives Kenya representation among experts contributing to the Vatican’s work on integral human development.
The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development is one of the departments forming the Roman Curia.
Other dicasteries deal with areas including evangelisation, the Doctrine of the Faith, the Eastern Churches, bishops, clergy, the causes of saints, divine worship and the sacraments, culture and education, communication, interreligious dialogue and legislative texts.
As a Consultor, Afandi will therefore contribute her expertise to the dicastery’s deliberations.
Her appointment marks a new role for the Kenyan development expert within the Vatican’s global efforts to address social, humanitarian and environmental challenges.
