President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived in Rome, Italy, on Saturday, May 17, to attend the formal inauguration of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Nigerian President landed at the Mario De Bernardo Military Airport at 6:00 p.m. local time and was received by Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, alongside Vatican officials and diplomats from the Nigerian Embassy.
Tinubu’s visit follows an official invitation from the Vatican, extended through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State. The correspondence emphasized the significance of the event for both the Church and the global community.
“In these trying times of global conflict and unrest, your presence at this solemn occasion will serve as a symbol of unity and hope,” Cardinal Parolin stated. Pope Leo XIV added in his personal note, “Your great nation is especially dear to me, as I once served in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos in the 1980s.”
The inaugural mass of the pontificate is scheduled for Sunday, May 18, at Vatican City, with global leaders and representatives expected to be in attendance.
President Tinubu is accompanied by a high-level Nigerian delegation, including key religious leaders such as Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and Archbishop of Owerri; Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja; Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos; and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese.
The president’s participation in the historic event signals Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening diplomatic and interfaith relations with the Holy See amid a complex global landscape.