Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu arrived in Rome, Italy, on Saturday to participate in the solemn mass for the inauguration of the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV.
The mass takes place on Sunday, 18 May.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAccording to a statement from the State House, the plane conveying the president touched down at 6 pm local time at the Mario De Bernardo Military Airport.
On arrival, President Tinubu was received by Monsignor Luis Mariano Montemayor, representing the Vatican, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and officials from the Nigerian Embassy.
President Tinubu’s visit followed an invitation by the Pope conveyed through the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
The statement quoted Pope Leo saying: “Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”
Tinubu is accompanied by Catholic leaders in Nigeria, including Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria; Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja Catholic Diocese; Alfred Martins, Archbishop of Lagos; and Rev. Matthew Kukah, Bishop of Sokoto, Diocese.
Some two hours later, Tinubu was hosted to dinner by Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
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In a post on his X handle, President Tinubu said their dialogue centre on the need to promote common values such as peace, mutual respect, and global solidarity.
“Our dialogue was marked by a spirit of fraternity and a shared vision for the future, focusing on common values such as peace, mutual respect, and global solidarity.
“I expressed Nigeria’s deep appreciation for the Vatican’s longstanding goodwill and reaffirmed our commitment to promoting interfaith dialogue, tolerance, and cooperation in an increasingly polarised world.
“As always, Nigeria remains a nation open to friendship, grounded in faith, and committed to building bridges of understanding across the world.”
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Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
