President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived in Rome, Italy, to join global dignitaries and heads of state for the historic inaugural mass marking the beginning of the papacy of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, the 267th successor of Saint Peter and new head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Touching down at the Mario De Bernardo Military Airport at approximately 6 p.m. local time on Saturday, May 17, President Tinubu was warmly received by Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, along with senior officials from the Vatican and the Nigerian Embassy in Rome.
The President’s visit follows a formal invitation extended by the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who conveyed Pope Leo XIV’s personal request for President Tinubu’s presence at what the Holy See described as a moment of deep spiritual and global significance. The installation mass is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 18, in Vatican City.
According to the Vatican’s letter of invitation, the Pope expressed a particular fondness for Nigeria, recalling his diplomatic service in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s. The Pontiff described Nigeria as a “great nation” and emphasized its relevance in global affairs and interfaith dialogue, especially at a time when the world continues to grapple with socio-political tensions and humanitarian challenges.
President Tinubu is accompanied by a high-level religious delegation, including prominent Nigerian Catholic leaders such as Archbishop Lucius Ugorji of Owerri, who also serves as President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja, Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins of Lagos, and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese.
The Nigerian leader’s presence at the solemn occasion is seen as a significant gesture of goodwill and international religious diplomacy, reinforcing Nigeria’s longstanding relationship with the Vatican and its commitment to global peace, interfaith cooperation, and moral leadership in times of crisis.
