President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria will travel to Rome, Italy, on Saturday to attend the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The invitation was extended by Pope Leo XIV himself, marking a significant gesture of goodwill towards Nigeria.
President Tinubu will be accompanied by prominent Catholic leaders from Nigeria, including the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the Archbishop of Owerri and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja, Alfred Martins of Lagos, and the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah.
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In the invitation, Cardinal Pietro Parolin conveyed Pope Leo XIV’s emphasis on President Tinubu’s presence “at this moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts.” Pope Leo XIV also noted his personal connection to Nigeria, stating, “Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected as the 267th Bishop of Rome following the death of his predecessor, Pope Francis, on April 21. His formal installation will take place on Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
President Tinubu is scheduled to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20. His attendance at the inauguration underscores the importance Nigeria places on its relationship with the Vatican and the global Catholic community.
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