Tinubu Set to Attend Pope’s Inauguration Alongside World Leaders

President Bola Tinubu is set to depart Abuja for Rome, Italy, on Saturday following an invitation from Pope Leo XIV.

According to a statement released on Thursday by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Tinubu will attend a solemn Mass marking the official start of the papacy of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, the 267th Bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Titled ‘Pope Leo XIV invites President Tinubu to his inauguration on Sunday’, the statement disclosed that the invitation came through Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Pope Leo XIV emphasized the significance of President Tinubu’s presence during this pivotal moment for the Church and the global community amid ongoing tensions and conflicts.

The Pope also expressed a personal connection to Nigeria, recalling his service at the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.

President Tinubu will be accompanied by notable figures, including the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; the Archbishop of Owerri and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji; Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja; Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos; and the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah.

Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, will be officially installed at a ceremony on Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. His election followed the passing of Pope Francis on April 21, with the Conclave of Cardinals naming a successor 27 days later.

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President Tinubu is expected to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20.