ROME, ITALY — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived in Rome on Saturday to attend the inauguration mass of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, the newly elected 267th Bishop of Rome and global leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
According to Hobnob News, the President is joining several world leaders at the solemn installation mass scheduled for Sunday, May 18, in Vatican City.
Upon his arrival at Mario De Bernardo Military Airport around 6 p.m. local time, Tinubu was warmly received by Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, alongside officials from Vatican City and the Nigerian Embassy.
Tinubu’s visit follows a special invitation extended by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, who emphasized the importance of the Nigerian President’s presence amid global challenges and conflicts.
Pope Leo XIV, in his message, expressed a personal connection to Nigeria, stating: “Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”
President Tinubu is accompanied by prominent Nigerian Catholic leaders, including 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 Diocese.
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