President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, joined other world leaders to attend the inauguration mass of the new head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, at the Vatican City.
Tinubu, who arrived Rome on Saturday, felicitated the new Pope on his ascendancy to Catholic Papacy.
At the end of the inauguration mass, Tinubu, like other world leaders, took his turn to shake hands and exchange pleasantries with the Pope.
Tinubu told newsmen afterwards that he felt good being part of the inauguration of the new Pope.
He said his visit was “consistent in the true sense of unity in diversity and I am greatly honoured. We have to continue to work on it. It’s a work in progress for the sake of our country and the continent as a whole”.
On the side-lines of the ceremony, he met with Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 poll, Peter Obi, and former Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi.
Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, who tweeted on his verified X handle, @aonanuga1956, said, “Fayemi sighted President Tinubu, where he sat with other leaders and asked Obi to follow him to pay homage to the Nigerian leader. Obi agreed.
“On getting to the president, Fayemi broke the ice between Obi and Tinubu. He said, Mr. President, welcome to our church, and thank you for honouring the Pope with your presence.
“President Tinubu, ever quick-witted, responded: ‘I should be the one welcoming you and Peter. I’m the Head of the Nigerian Delegation.’ The President’s response cracked up Obi, who agreed with the President.
“Obi said: ‘Yes, indeed. We are members of your delegation’. Peter Obi and Fayemi are staunch Catholics and Papal knights.”
Tinubu had earlier on arrival in Rome on Saturday been hosted to dinner by Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro.
In a post on his verified official X handle, the president said their dialogue was marked by a spirit of fraternity and a shared vision for peace, mutual respect, and global solidarity.
He said Nigeria deeply valued the Vatican’s longstanding goodwill and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to interfaith dialogue, tolerance, and cooperation in what he described as an increasingly polarised world.
Tinubu wrote, “Upon my arrival in Rome ahead of the solemn Mass marking the beginning of the Pontificate of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, I was warmly received and graciously hosted to dinner by His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State to the Vatican.
“Our dialogue was marked by a spirit of fraternity and a shared vision for the future, focusing on common values such as peace, mutual respect, and global solidarity.
“I expressed Nigeria’s deep appreciation for the Vatican’s longstanding goodwill and reaffirmed our commitment to promoting interfaith dialogue, tolerance, and cooperation in an increasingly polarised world.
“As always, Nigeria remains a nation open to friendship, grounded in faith, and committed to building bridges of understanding across the world.”
When he received some members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Tinubu urged Nigerians to use their diversity for the country’s stability and rapid development.
The president, according to a release by Onanuga, 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 said being the president of Nigeria when a new Pope was inaugurated in Rome. as historic.
The Catholic bishops were part of President Tinubu’s delegation to Pope Leo XIV’s installation mass on Sunday.
Earlier, Archbishop of Owerri and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, thanked Tinubu for facilitating their visits to the Vatican to bury the late Pope Francis and witness the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
Ugorji said the development signalled a new era of a more robust relationship between the president and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
He said, “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.”
Archbishops Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja, Alfred Martins of Lagos, and Mathew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, attended the meeting with the president.
Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV formally began his reign yesterday, with several world leaders, including Tinubu, United States Vice President J.D Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, among others, in attendance.
Other world leaders at the ceremony were the presidents of Israel, Peru and the prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Australia. German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, also graced the occasion.
European royals, including Spanish King Felipe and Queen Letizia, also took their place in the VIP seats near the main altar, a Reuters report said.
Calling for unity and vowing to preserve the Catholic Church’s heritage as well as not rule like “an autocrat”, the Pope said 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.
After a first ride in the popemobile through an estimated crowd of up to 200,000 people at 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 US and Peruvian flags, with people from both countries claiming him 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.
Robert Prevost, relatively unknown on the world stage, only became a cardinal two years ago, and 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 cause of the poor and marginalised, the Reuters report added.
In his sermon, read in fluent Italian, Leo said 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.
Vance, a Catholic convert who clashed with Francis over the White House’s hardline immigration policies, led a US delegation alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also Catholic.
Vance briefly shook hands with Zelenskiy at the start of the ceremony. The two men last met in February at the White House, when they clashed fiercely in front of the world’s media.
Zelenskiy and Leo were to have a private meeting later on Sunday, while Vance was expected to see the pope on Monday.
In a brief appeal at the end of the Mass, Leo addressed several global conflicts. He said Ukraine was being “martyred”, a phrase often used by Francis, and called for a “just and lasting peace” there.
He also mentioned the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and said people in the Palestinian enclave were being “reduced to starvation”. Among those in the crowds were many pilgrims from the US and Peru.
Since becoming pope, Leo had signalled some key priorities for his papacy, including a warning about the dangers posed by artificial intelligence and the importance of bringing peace to the world and to the Church itself.
Francis’ papacy left a divided Church, with conservatives accusing him of sowing confusion, particularly with his extemporaneous remarks on issues of sexual morality, such as same-sex unions.
Saying he was taking up his mission “with fear and trembling”, Leo used the words “unity” or “united” seven times on Sunday and the word “harmony” four times.
“It is never a question of capturing others by force, by religious propaganda or by means of power. Instead, it is always and only a question of loving, as Jesus did,” he said, in apparent reference to a war of words between Catholics, who define themselves as conservative or progressive.
Conservatives also accused Francis of ruling in a heavy-handed way and lamented that he belittled their concerns and did not consult widely before making decisions.
Referring to St. Peter, the 1st Century Christian apostle from whom popes derive their authority, Leo said, “Peter must shepherd the flock without ever yielding to the temptation to be an autocrat, lording it over those entrusted to him. On the contrary, he is called to serve the faith of his brothers and sisters, and to walk alongside them.”
Leo shook many of their hands at the end of the ceremony, and hugged his brother Louis, who had travelled from Florida.
As part of the ceremony, Leo received two symbolic items: a liturgical vestment known as a pallium, a sash of lambswool representing his role as a shepherd, and the “fisherman’s ring”, recalling St. Peter, who was a fisherman.
The ceremonial gold signet ring is specially cast for each new pope and can be used by Leo to seal documents, although this purpose has fallen out of use in modern times. It shows St. Peter holding the keys to Heaven and will be broken after his death or resignation, Reuters said.
