President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will travel to Rome, Italy, on Saturday to attend the inauguration mass of Pope Leo XIV, the newly elected leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
The visit comes at the invitation of the Vatican, following the election of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, by the Conclave of Cardinals. He was elected 27 days after the death of Pope Francis on April 21.
The inauguration mass is scheduled for Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City and will mark the formal beginning of Pope Leo’s pontificate.
According to a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the invitation was extended via a letter from Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State. In the letter, Pope Leo described President Tinubu’s presence as significant “at this moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts.”
Pope Leo also expressed a personal connection to Nigeria, recalling his time working at the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s and referring to the country as “particularly dear” to him.
President Tinubu will be accompanied by top Catholic leaders in Nigeria, including Archbishop Lucius Ugorji of Owerri, who is also the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria; Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja; Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos; and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto. The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, will also be part of the delegation. tinubu is expected to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20.