By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Reporter
PRESIDENT BOLA Ahmed Tinubu will travel from Abuja to Rome on Saturday following an official invitation from Pope Leo XIV to attend a historic Papal Mass at the Vatican.
The solemn ceremony will formally inaugurate the Pontificate of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, the 267th Bishop of Rome and spiritual leader of the global Roman Catholic community.
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, will be installed at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, 18 May, nearly a month after the passing of Pope Francis on 21 April.
In a personal message conveyed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the new Pontiff emphasised the significance of President Tinubu’s attendance, describing it as “a moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts.”
The Pope noted a special connection with Nigeria, recalling his earlier years of service at the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s. His message described the country as “particularly dear” to him.
President Tinubu’s delegation comprises notable figures from Nigeria’s Catholic leadership and government, including the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Archbishop Lucius Ugorji of Owerri and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria; Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja; Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos; and Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese.
The Nigerian leader is expected to return to Abuja on Tuesday, 20 May.
