President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to depart Abuja for Rome, the capital of Italy, on Saturday, at the invitation of Pope Leo XIV.
Accompanied by top Catholic leaders, President Tinubu will attend a solemn Mass marking the beginning of the pontificate of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, the 267th Bishop of Rome and new leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
In a papal invitation sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of President Tinubu’s physical presence at what he described as a moment of great significance for the Catholic Church and a world beset by tensions and conflicts.
Pope Leo further stated: “Your great nation is particularly dear to me, as I worked at the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”
President Tinubu’s entourage includes the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; the Archbishop of Owerri and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji; Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja; and Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the Catholic Bishop of the Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, is also part of the President’s delegation.
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, will be formally installed in his new office on Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
The Conclave of Cardinals elected him 27 days after the passing of his predecessor, Pope Francis, on April 21.
President Tinubu is expected to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20.
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