President Bola Tinubu will leave Abuja for Rome on Saturday following an invitation from Pope Leo XIV to attend his official inauguration.
The ceremony, scheduled for Sunday, May 18, will take place at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
Pope Leo XIV, who previously served as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was chosen by the Conclave of Cardinals 27 days after the passing of Pope Francis on April 21.
He now becomes the 267th Bishop of Rome and the new head of the Roman Catholic Church.
The invitation to Tinubu came through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who conveyed the Pope’s request for the Nigerian leader to be present at the event.
The Pope also mentioned his connection to Nigeria, recalling his past service in Lagos during the 1980s.
President Tinubu will be joined by a number of notable Catholic figures and government officials.
These include the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, as well as top church leaders such as Archbishop Lucius Ugorji of Owerri, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja, and Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos.
Also in the delegation is Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese.
Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria on Tuesday, May 20.
