Tinubu to attend Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration in Rome

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has received an invitation from Pope Leo XIV to attend his inauguration as the 267th Bishop of Rome and the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

The ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.

According to a statement from the Statehouse, President Tinubu will depart Abuja for Rome on Saturday, accompanied by a delegation of top Catholic leaders. The delegation includes the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Archbishop of Owerri and President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji; Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja; Alfred Martins of Lagos; and the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah.

In the Papal invitation, Cardinal Pietro Parolin emphasized the need for President Tinubu’s physical presence, stating that it would be important “at this moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts”.

Pope Leo XIV also expressed his affection for Nigeria, where he worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.

“Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s,” Pope Leo XIV said in the invitation.

The Pope’s inauguration comes 27 days after the Conclave of Cardinals elected him following the death of his predecessor, Pope Francis, on April 21. President Tinubu is expected to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20.