TINUBU TO ATTEND INAUGURATION MASS OF POPE LEO XIV IN ROME

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to depart Abuja for Rome on Saturday May 17th to attend the official inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, the newly elected head of the Roman Catholic Church. The event, scheduled for Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, follows an invitation extended by Cardinal Pietro Parolin on behalf of the Pope.
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected 27 days after the death of Pope Francis. In his invitation, the Pope referenced his personal ties to Nigeria, having worked at the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos in the 1980s. The Vatican sees Tinubu’s presence as “symbolic” during this historic transition for the global Church.
Tinubu will be accompanied by Catholic clergy and senior government officials, including Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, Archbishop Alfred Martins, and Bishop Matthew Kukah. The President is expected to return to Abuja on May 20.