President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will on Saturday depart Abuja for Rome, Italy, following a special invitation by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to attend his papal inauguration on Sunday.
The visit underscores Nigeria’s growing diplomatic ties with the Vatican and marks a significant moment as Pope Leo XIV, elected 27 days after the death of Pope Francis, officially begins his tenure as the 267th Bishop of Rome.
According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the papal invitation was personally extended to President Tinubu by Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
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The invitation emphasised the importance of the President’s presence “at this moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts.”
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, recalled his past ties to Nigeria, noting: “Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”
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The President’s delegation includes prominent Catholic figures and senior government officials such as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, 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 Diocese.
The solemn papal mass and installation ceremony will take place at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican City.
President Tinubu is expected back in Abuja on Tuesday, May 20.
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