President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja on Saturday for Rome, Italy, to attend the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, following an official invitation from the Vatican.
The newly elected pontiff, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, will be formally installed as the 267th Bishop of Rome during a solemn mass at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, May 18. The ceremony marks the official beginning of his papacy, following the passing of Pope Francis on April 21 and the subsequent election of his successor by the College of Cardinals.
In a letter sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Leo XIV expressed a strong desire for President Tinubu’s presence at what he described as “a moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts.”
The Pope also shared a personal connection with Nigeria, recalling his time in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s. “Your great nation is particularly dear to me,” he stated.
President Tinubu will be joined by a delegation that includes Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Archbishop of Owerri and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji; Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja; Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos; and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese.
The President is expected to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20.
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