President Bola Tinubu arrived in Rome, Italy, on Saturday to participate in the inauguration mass of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, the 267th Bishop of Rome and the new head of the Roman Catholic Church.
The solemn mass marking the beginning of the new pontificate is scheduled for Sunday, May 18.
The President was welcomed at the Mario De Bernardo Military Airport by Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, alongside officials from the Vatican and the Nigerian Embassy. His plane touched down at 6:00 p.m. local time.
President Tinubu’s visit follows a formal invitation extended by Pope Leo XIV through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State. The Pope emphasized the significance of the occasion in light of global conflicts and tensions, calling for Tinubu’s physical presence “at this moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world.”
In his message, Pope Leo XIV expressed deep affection for Nigeria, stating, “Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”
Accompanying President Tinubu is a delegation of prominent Nigerian Catholic leaders, including Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and Archbishop of Owerri; Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja; Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos; and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese.
The President’s attendance not only reflects diplomatic goodwill but also reaffirms Nigeria’s commitment to fostering global interfaith cooperation and peacebuilding.
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What you should know
Pope Leo XIV has personal ties to Nigeria, having worked in Lagos in the 1980s.
His invitation to President Tinubu highlights both respect for Nigeria’s role in global diplomacy and the Pope’s commitment to engaging with nations pivotal to global peace and interreligious harmony.
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