President Bola Ahmed Tinubu joined other world leaders at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican for the solemn inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, the newly elected leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
The ceremony, marking the official beginning of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate, followed his election by the College of Cardinals 27 days after the passing of Pope Francis.
The new pontiff, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, is now the 267th Bishop of Rome.
President Tinubu’s presence at the high-profile event came in response to a personal invitation from Pope Leo XIV, who described Nigeria as a nation “particularly dear” to him, having served at the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.
