President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja on Saturday for Rome, Italy, to attend the historic papal inauguration of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, following a special invitation from the Vatican.
The invitation, personally extended by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, underscores the strengthening diplomatic ties between Nigeria and the Holy See. The Vatican described the event as a moment of profound global significance, taking place amid rising international tensions and conflicts.
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Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected 27 days after the passing of Pope Francis and will be formally installed as the 267th Bishop of Rome in a solemn mass at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday.
In his message to President Tinubu, the Pope recalled his personal connection to Nigeria: “Your great nation is particularly dear to me, as I served in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”
President Tinubu will be accompanied by a high-profile delegation including senior government officials and leading Catholic figures such as the 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 the Sokoto Diocese.
The President is expected to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20.
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