President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to depart Abuja this Saturday for Rome, Italy, where he will attend the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, the newly elected head of the Roman Catholic Church.
The historic occasion, scheduled for Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, marks the official beginning of Pope Leo XIV’s papacy following the passing of Pope Francis on April 21. The new pontiff, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected by the Conclave of Cardinals 27 days after the death of his predecessor.
Pope Leo XIV, in a formal invitation delivered by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, emphasized the symbolic importance of President Tinubu’s presence at the event. “Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s,” the pontiff wrote, reflecting on his ties to Nigeria. He also described the moment as one of “particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts.”
President Tinubu will be accompanied by a distinguished delegation that includes top government and Catholic Church officials. Among them are the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Archbishop Lucius Ugorji of Owerri and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria; Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja; Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos; and Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese.
The president is expected to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20.
