President Bola Tinubu on Sunday shook hands with the newly installed Bishop of Rome and the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.
The US pontiff shook hands with several world leaders in St Peter’s Square after the inauguration mass.
While shaking hands with the Pope, Tinubu had a brief conversation with him before moving away.
Other world leaders who shook hands with the Pope include US Vice President J.D Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, among others.
Tinubu joined other world leaders in Rome, Italy for the installation mass marking the beginning of the Pontificate of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.
At the installation mass, Pope Leo XIV set the tone for his papacy with a call to stop exploiting nature and marginalising the poor.
In front of dignitaries, including US Vice President Vance and Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky, he gave a homily calling for the Church to be a transformational force in a world of division and hatred.
Similarly, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, provided explanations for why Pope Leo XIV personally invited President Bola Tinubu to attend a major mass in Rome.
President Tinubu had on Saturday left Abuja to attend a solemn mass commemorating the beginning of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate. The 267th Bishop of Rome, who was just promoted to head the Roman Catholic Church, is honoured in this ceremony.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who sent out the papal invitation, underlined how crucial Tinubu’s attendance in person was.
Bianca clarified that the Pope’s knowledge of Nigeria played a role in this choice, pointing out that the former Cardinal Robert Prevost had made multiple trips there in his prior positions.
Former Augustinian Order leader Prevost visited Nigeria frequently, especially Abuja and Maiduguri, and remained in contact with the local Catholic community even after he was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru. He was supposed to return to Nigeria for priestly ordinations prior to being appointed pope.
Bianca said that the Pope’s invitation to Tinubu was influenced by his familiarity with Nigeria and the nation’s rapidly growing Catholic community.
“The new pope is, of course, the spiritual head of more than 1.4 billion Catholics around the world,” she said.
She added that Tinubu’s presence, particularly as a Muslim leader, conveys a powerful message of religious unity and tolerance, which is consistent with his administration’s mission to advance interfaith harmony and peace. Bishop Matthew Kukah, Archbishop Alfred Martins, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, and Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama were among the prominent Catholic leaders from Nigeria who accompanied him.
