President Bola Ahmed Tinubu touched down in Rome, Italy, on Saturday to attend the official inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, the newly elected head of the Roman Catholic Church and the 267th Bishop of Rome.
The Nigerian leader’s aircraft landed at Mario De Bernardo Military Airport around 6 p.m. local time, where he was warmly welcomed by Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, along with officials from Vatican City and the Nigerian Embassy in Italy.
According to Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s presence at the ceremony follows a personal invitation from the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, acting on behalf of the new pontiff.
In the invitation letter, Pope Leo XIV expressed a special connection with Nigeria, stating:
“Your great nation is particularly dear to me, as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”
The Vatican described the Pope’s installation as a moment of global spiritual and diplomatic significance, especially in a time marked by widespread geopolitical conflict.
Joining President Tinubu for the occasion are several prominent leaders of the Nigerian Catholic Church, including:
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Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, Archbishop of Owerri and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria
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Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja
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Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins of Lagos
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Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese
The presence of these respected clerics underscores the importance of the event both to the Church and to Nigeria’s relationship with the Vatican.
