President Tinubu Attends Historic Papal Installation In Rome.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived in Rome on Saturday to join global leaders at a solemn mass marking the inauguration of the Pontificate of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, the 267th Bishop of Rome and newly elected leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The installation mass, a significant event for the global Catholic community, is set to take place on Sunday, 18 May.
Touching down at Mario De Bernardo Military Airport at 6 pm local time, President Tinubu was warmly received by Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, alongside officials from Vatican City and the Nigerian Embassy. The visit underscores Nigeria’s deep ties with the Vatican and the global Catholic community.
The Nigerian leader’s attendance follows a personal invitation from Pope Leo XIV, conveyed through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State. In his invitation, the Pope highlighted the importance of President Tinubu’s presence “at this moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts.” Reflecting on his own connection to Nigeria, Pope Leo XIV noted, “Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”
Accompanying President Tinubu is a distinguished delegation of Nigerian Catholic leaders, including Archbishop Lucius Ugorji of Owerri, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja, Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos, and Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese. Their presence reinforces the significance of the occasion for Nigeria, a nation with a vibrant Catholic population.
The installation of Pope Leo XIV comes at a time of global challenges, and the Vatican has emphasised the need for unity and dialogue among world leaders. President Tinubu’s participation in the historic event signals Nigeria’s commitment to fostering peace and collaboration on the international stage.
The mass, expected to draw thousands of pilgrims and dignitaries to St. Peter’s Basilica, will formally mark the beginning of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate, as he takes on the mantle of leading the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
