From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu arrived in Rome, Italy, on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at 6:00 PM local time to attend the solemn mass marking the start of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate as the 267th Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
The inauguration mass is set for Sunday, May 18, at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, stated that Tinubu was welcomed at Mario De Bernardi Military Airport by Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, alongside Vatican and Nigerian Embassy officials.
The visit follows a personal invitation from Pope Leo XIV, delivered by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, who highlighted the significance of Tinubu’s presence “at this moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts.” The Pope noted his fondness for Nigeria, having served at the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.
Tinubu’s delegation includes key Catholic leaders: Archbishop Lucius Ugorji of Owerri, 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.
Pope Leo XIV, previously Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected on May 8, 27 days after Pope Francis’s death. He is the first American-born pope and the first Augustinian to lead the Church. Tinubu is expected to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20.