President Bola Tinubu will travel to Rome, Italy, on Saturday to attend the inauguration mass of Pope Leo XIV, the newly elected head of the Roman Catholic Church.
According to a statement released Thursday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the visit is at the invitation of the Vatican following Pope Leo XIV’s election by the Conclave of Cardinals.
The inauguration mass will take place on Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican and marks the formal beginning of Pope Leo’s papacy.
In a letter inviting President Tinubu, Cardinal Pietro Parolin conveyed the Pope’s appreciation, noting that Tinubu’s presence would be meaningful “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, also reflected on his time in Nigeria, saying, “Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”
Tinubu will be accompanied by prominent Catholic leaders from Nigeria, including Archbishop Lucius Ugorji of Owerri and 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 join the delegation.
Pope Leo XIV was elected 27 days after the passing of Pope Francis on April 21. President Tinubu is expected to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20.