President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will leave Abuja for Rome on Saturday to attend the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV as the new head of the Roman Catholic Church. The trip was confirmed in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy. Tinubu is travelling at the invitation of the Vatican and will lead Nigeria’s delegation to the installation Mass set for Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square. The ceremony marks the official start of the Pontificate of Pope Leo XIV, the 267th Bishop of Rome. He takes over from Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21. Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected 27 days later by the Conclave of Cardinals. The invitation, signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, emphasized the significance of Tinubu’s attendance, calling the inauguration “a moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and a world beset by tensions and conflict.” Pope Leo XIV also expressed a personal connection to Nigeria, stating: “Your great nation is particularly dear to me as I worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.” The President will be accompanied by a delegation that includes the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria; Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja; Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos; and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese. President Tinubu is expected to return to Abuja on Tuesday, May 20.