by Nigerian News24 Correspondents
President Bola Tinubu will travel to Rome, Italy, on Saturday to attend a special Mass commemorating the official installation of Pope Leo XIV as the 267th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
The visit comes at the invitation of the newly elected pontiff, according to a statement released Thursday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, will be formally installed at a ceremony scheduled for Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. He is the first American-born pontiff and was elected following the death of Pope Francis on April 21.
The papal inauguration is being hailed as a significant moment for the global Catholic community and the broader world, which continues to grapple with political unrest and humanitarian challenges. In his invitation, Pope Leo described the ceremony as “a moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts.”
The Pope also conveyed a personal connection to Nigeria, reflecting on his time serving in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s. “Your great nation is particularly dear to me,” he noted.
President Tinubu will be accompanied by a high-level delegation that includes both senior government officials and prominent leaders of the Nigerian Catholic Church. Among them are the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria; Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja; Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos; and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese.
The Nigerian leader is expected to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20.