President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja for Rome, Italy on Saturday, following an invitation from the Vatican to attend the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, the 267th Bishop of Rome, the Presidency announced on Thursday.
The new pope, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected by the Conclave of Cardinals 27 days after the death of Pope Francis on April 21. His formal installation will take place on Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Tinubu will be accompanied by a delegation that includes top Catholic leaders in Nigeria.
“In the Papal invitation sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Leo XIV underscored the need for President Tinubu’s physical presence at this moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts,” Onanuga noted.
The invitation also referenced Pope Leo XIV’s past connection to Nigeria, quoting him as saying:
“Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”
The presidential entourage includes:
- Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
- Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, Archbishop of Owerri & President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria
- Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja
- Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos
- Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese
President Tinubu is expected to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20, the statement added.
