By Peter Omopo
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived in Rome, Italy, on Saturday to attend the official inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, the newly elected 267th Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
The solemn inauguration mass is scheduled for Sunday, May 18, and will be attended by world leaders and dignitaries from across the globe.
President Tinubu was received at the Mario De Bernardo Military Airport by Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, alongside officials from Vatican City and the Nigerian Embassy. His aircraft touched down at 6 p.m. local time.
Tinubu is attending the ceremony at the invitation of Pope Leo XIV, conveyed through the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The invitation emphasized the importance of the president’s presence amid global tensions and conflicts.
“I hold your great nation dear, having served in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s,” Pope Leo XIV noted in his message to Tinubu.
The president’s delegation includes key figures from Nigeria’s Catholic leadership, such as 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 the Sokoto Diocese.
