President Bola Tinubu, on Sunday, witnessed the inauguration of Robert Prevost (Pope Leo XIV) as the 267th pontiff in Rome, Italy.
At the event, he also met his challenger in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, former Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Catholic Bishops from Nigeria.
The Pope formally began his reign by reaching out to conservatives who felt orphaned under his predecessor, calling for unity, vowing to preserve the Catholic Church’s heritage and not rule like “an autocrat”.
After a first ride in the popemobile through an estimated crowd of up to 200,000 in St. Peter’s Square and surrounding streets, Leo was officially installed as the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church at an outdoor Mass.
Well-wishers waved Nigerian, U.S. and Peruvian flags, with people from U.S. and Peru claiming the pontiff as the first pope from their nations. Born in Chicago, the 69-year-old pontiff spent many years as a missionary in Peru and also has Peruvian citizenship.
Prevost, a relative unknown on the world stage who only became a cardinal two years ago, was elected pope on May 8 after a short conclave of cardinals that lasted barely 24 hours.
He succeeded Francis, an Argentine, who died on April 21 after leading the Church for 12 often turbulent years during which he battled with traditionalists and championed the poor and marginalised.
In his sermon, read in fluent Italian, Leo said that as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, he would continue Francis’ legacy on social issues such as combating poverty and protecting the environment.
He vowed to face up to “the questions, concerns and challenges of today’s world” and, in a nod to conservatives, he promised to preserve “the rich heritage of the Christian faith”, repeatedly calling for unity.
Crowds chanted “Viva il Papa” (Long Live the Pope) and “Papa Leone”, his name in Italian, as he waved from the open-topped popemobile ahead of his inaugural Mass, which was attended by dozens of world leaders.
Meanwhile, Tinubu has urged Nigerians to use their diversity for the country’s stability and rapid development.
He spoke on Sunday in Rome when he received members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria.
The President also issued a stirring call to leaders at all levels to work for the betterment of the citizenry.
Tinubu, a Muslim, said, ” If we use our diversity not for adversity but for prosperity, the country’s hope is stability and progress.”
He described it as historic, being the President of Nigeria when a new Pope was inaugurated in Rome.
The Catholic bishops were part of President Tinubu’s delegation to attend Pope Leo XIV’s installation mass on Sunday.
Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, Archbishop of Owerri and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, thanked President Tinubu for facilitating their visits to the Vatican to bury the late Pope Francis and witness the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
He said the development signalled a new era of a more robust relationship between the President and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
“You are always there for us. Now that you have come to the Vatican, whenever we have our conference in Nigeria, we will also invite you, and we look forward to interfacing with you just as you were able to do with the Holy Father,” he said.
Archbishops Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja, Alfred Martins of Lagos and Matthew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, attended the meeting with the President.
