- Safiu Kehinde
President Bola Tinubu has given an update on his visit to Italian capital, Rome, ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s official inauguration as the new Catholic Pontiff on Sunday.
NPO Reported that the President had yesterday arrived at Rome in honour of Pope Leo’s invitation to the ceremony.
The Pope had last week emerged as the new Catholic Pontiff following the appearance of white smokes above the Sistine chapel which signalled the conclusion of the secret voting by Cardinals at the conclave.
Tinubu, in a post on his official X handle, disclosed that he was warmly received and hosted to dinner by the Secretary of State to the Vatican, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
The dinner will, according to the President, be followed by a dialogue where he expressed Nigeria’s deep appreciation for the Vatican’s longstanding goodwill.
He reaffirmed the country’s commitment to promoting interfaith dialogue, tolerance, and cooperation.
The post read; “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.”