President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja for Rome on Saturday, May 17, to attend the formal installation of Pope Leo XIV as the 267th Bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church.
The inauguration Mass will take place on Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. The newly elected Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States, was selected by the Conclave of Cardinals 27 days after the passing of Pope Francis.
In his official invitation, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin emphasized the symbolic importance of President Tinubu’s presence, highlighting Nigeria’s global significance and referencing the new pope’s time in Lagos during the 1980s.
President Tinubu will be accompanied by several key figures, including 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 Sokoto.
The visit underscores Nigeria’s diplomatic ties with the Vatican and reflects the global reach of the Catholic Church.
President Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria on Tuesday, May 20.
