16th May, 2025
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will on Saturday, May 17, 2025, embark on a trip to Rome, Italy, where he is expected to attend the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV, the newly elected head of the Roman Catholic Church.
The visit, which follows a formal invitation from the Vatican, is seen as a diplomatic gesture acknowledging Nigeria’s role in global religious and political relations. Confirming the trip in a statement on Thursday, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, noted that Tinubu would be accompanied by senior Catholic leaders and government officials.
The pontifical invitation, signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, conveyed the Pope’s personal request for Tinubu’s presence, citing the significance of the moment. “Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s,” Pope Leo XIV was quoted as saying.
President Tinubu’s delegation includes Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, 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 solemn installation mass is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected 27 days after the passing of Pope Francis on April 21.
President Tinubu is expected to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20.
