President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has received a formal invitation from His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, the newly elected head of the Roman Catholic Church, to attend his inauguration as the 267th Bishop of Rome.
The invitation was announced on Thursday in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
According to the statement, President Tinubu is scheduled to depart Abuja on Saturday to attend the inaugural mass at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Sunday, May 18, where Pope Leo XIV will be formally installed.
The invitation, delivered through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, highlights the Pope’s personal connection to Nigeria.
“Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s,” Pope Leo XIV recalled in his letter.
Delegation Includes Top Nigerian Catholic Leaders
Accompanying President Tinubu on the trip are several prominent figures from Nigeria’s Catholic community:
- Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
- Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria
- Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja
- Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos
- Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese
A New Era for the Catholic Church
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected by the College of Cardinals 27 days after the passing of Pope Francis on April 21. His election marks a significant moment in the global Catholic Church, ushering in a new chapter of leadership.
