President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja for Rome, Italy, on Saturday to attend the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV. The invitation was extended by the Pope himself, who emphasized the importance of President Tinubu’s physical presence “at this moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts.”

Special Adviser to the President, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that Pope Leo XIV expressed his fondness for Nigeria, saying, “Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.” Onanuga said President Tinubu will be accompanied by top Catholic leaders, including Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Archbishop of Owerri and President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja, Alfred Martins of Lagos, and Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah.

Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, will be formally installed as the 267th Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. The Conclave of Cardinals elected him 27 days after the death of his predecessor, Pope Francis, on April 21. President Tinubu is expected to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20.

Bayo Onanuga said President Tinubu will attend a solemn mass marking the beginning of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate, highlighting the significance of the event for the Catholic Church and the world. Pope Leo XIV has already made headlines with his first Sunday prayer, expressing solidarity with the Ukrainian people and calling for a just and lasting peace in the conflict with Russia.