President (General) Bola Tinubu on Sunday exchanged greetings with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, the newly installed Bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church, during a solemn ceremony at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.
Following the inauguration mass that marked the beginning of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate, Tinubu was among several world leaders who had a moment of personal interaction with the new Pope. The two engaged in a brief conversation as they shook hands.
Other notable figures who greeted the Pope included United States Vice President J.D. Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
During the mass, Pope Leo XIV used his inaugural homily to call for an end to the exploitation of the environment and the marginalization of the poor. Addressing a global audience and numerous dignitaries, the Pope urged the Catholic Church to serve as a unifying and healing presence in a world increasingly marked by division and conflict.
President Tinubu attended the event alongside other international leaders in a show of diplomatic goodwill and global solidarity with the new papacy.
