By Temitope Mustapha
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived in Rome, the capital city of Italy, to attend the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
President Tinubu arrived at the Mario De Bernardo Military Airport in Rome at about 1800hrs local time on Saturday to attend a solemn mass marking the commencement of the Pontificate of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, the 267th Bishop of Rome and new leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Nigerian leader was received by top Nigerian government officials.
A statement earlier released by the Presidency disclosed that President Tinubu’s trip to Rome was at the invitation of the Vatican, following the election of Pope Leo XIV by the Conclave of Cardinals.
According to the Presidency, a letter sent to President Tinubu by Cardinal Pietro Parolin conveyed the Pope’s appreciation of the Nigerian leader’s presence, describing it as significant “at this moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and a world afflicted by many tensions and conflicts.”
Pope Leo further stressed, “Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”
President Tinubu’s entourage includes the 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, and Alfred Martins of Lagos.
