Tinubu Awaits Pope Leo’s Nigeria Visit As Vatican Hints At Trip

The Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations at the Holy See, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, has hinted that Pope Leo XIV may visit Nigeria in the coming years.

Naija News reports that Gallagher, who serves as the Vatican’s foreign minister, disclosed this on Saturday after meeting President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.

He said the Holy See had maintained a longstanding diplomatic and religious presence in Nigeria, noting that several popes had visited the country in the past.

“We have had a constant presence of the Nuncio over the years and visits from several of the Holy Fathers, and who knows, maybe in a few years’ time, Pope Leo will come to visit Nigeria as well. But that’s all for the future,” Gallagher told journalists.

Before his election as pontiff in May 2025, Pope Leo XIV reportedly visited Nigeria at least nine times while serving in senior positions within the Augustinian Catholic community.

Then known as Father Robert Francis Prevost, the Pope visited the country in his capacity as Prior General of the Augustinian Order and later as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.

His visits between 2001 and 2016 reportedly took him to Lagos, Jos, Benin, Bida, Ibusa, Iwaro Oka-Akoko, Kano, Warri, Kaduna and Abuja.

In April 2026, Pope Leo embarked on his first apostolic trip to Africa, undertaking a 10-day visit to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.

Nigeria, which has more than 30 million Catholics and over 10,000 Catholic priests, was not included in the trip.

President Tinubu, however, said he looked forward to receiving the Pope in Nigeria, describing his spiritual leadership as crucial at a time of growing global tensions.

According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Tinubu said millions of people around the world were looking to the pontiff for leadership on peace.

“I appreciate the Pope. It was an honour for me to lead the Nigerian delegation to his inauguration as Pope Leo XIV. It was a moment of history. I see his efforts all over the world to promote world peace.

“We need his spiritual engagement, as millions around the world look up to him. I look forward to receiving him in Nigeria,” Tinubu said.

The President recalled his relationship with the Catholic Church, dating back to his tenure as governor of Lagos State.

He said his administration at the time prioritised the return of mission schools taken over by previous military governments to religious institutions.

“I understand the roles that the Catholic Church has been playing in expanding the frontiers of education, health and humanitarianism in Nigeria. It means a lot to us in Nigeria, and the country is benefiting from it,” he added.

Tinubu also urged Gallagher to convey a message to Catholic bishops and other religious leaders in Nigeria, assuring them of his administration’s commitment to promoting harmony among different faiths.

“My administration will continue to work on religious harmony among all faiths,” the President said.

“Our bishops and religious leaders have been doing a great deal. Please tell them to continue the good work they are doing. Let them continue to preach peace and tolerance. We cannot have an excess of that.”

Speaking on Nigeria’s security challenges, Tinubu maintained that killings in the country should not be reduced solely to religious conflict.

He cited the religious diversity within his family, noting that his wife is a pastor in an evangelical church.

“We are also doing a lot to guarantee freedom of worship. As you may be aware, my wife is a pastor at an evangelical church. This downplays the religious connotation that the religious controversy in our country might have taken,” he said.

Tinubu said the military had recorded significant progress in tackling insecurity but acknowledged that individual attacks could overshadow previous gains.

He added that the Federal Government was allocating more resources to security, increasing surveillance in previously ungoverned areas and investing in young Nigerians to reduce their vulnerability to radicalisation and exploitation by terrorist organisations.

Gallagher said his visit formed part of engagements marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the Holy See.

He described the bilateral relationship as strong and healthy, pointing to Nigeria’s deployment of a new ambassador-designate to the Vatican as further evidence of strengthening ties.

“The President has graciously received me this evening. We had a very nice meeting, very good meeting.

“The relationship is very strong and very healthy, and I was just mentioning that now Nigeria is sending a new ambassador to the Vatican, who is arriving in these days,” he said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who attended the meeting, said Nigeria’s large Catholic population made the country’s relationship with the Holy See particularly significant.

“We have over 30 million Catholics in Nigeria. We have over 10,000 priests, and Nigeria has the largest number of Catholic bishops in the African continent.

“So, the visit of Archbishop Gallagher, who is the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations, is very, very significant on this 50th anniversary of our bilateral relations with the Holy See,” she said.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu noted that diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the Holy See dated back to 1976, while Nigeria opened its mission in the Vatican in 2012.

She added that the Catholic Church’s impact in Nigeria extended beyond religious activities to education, healthcare, humanitarian interventions and interfaith dialogue.

“The Catholic Church is hugely impactful in Nigeria, and the number of educational institutions, healthcare institutions, its commitment to promoting interfaith dialogue, its assistance with Nigerian organisations in humanitarian responses, its dedication to peace and stability, not just for Nigeria but for the African continent and the world, are profound,” the minister said.