Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Robert Francis Prevost gestures on the main central loggia balcony of the St Peter’s Basilica, after the cardinals ended the conclave, in The Vatican, on May 8, 2025. Robert Francis Prevost was on Thursday elected the first pope from the United States, the Vatican announced. A moderate who was close to Pope Francis and spent years as a missionary in Peru, he becomes the Catholic Church’s 267th pontiff, taking the papal name Leo XIV. (Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP)
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, ABUJA
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has congratulated His Holiness Leo XIV on his election as the Bishop of Rome and the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
The President felicitated the Conclave for electing the American Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost as the 267th Bishop of Rome.
President Tinubu, in a statement by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, rejoiced with the leadership and congregants of the Catholic Church in Nigeria on the historic election of the new pontiff, whose message of faith and hope already resonates across the globe, with a reassurance from the scriptures of a more peaceful world.
The president affirmed the valued relations shared between Nigeria and the Holy See over many years while acknowledging the rewarding partnership with the Catholic Church in peacebuilding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and, more recently, the promotion of technology in advancing human capacity.
According to the statement, “President Tinubu believes the election of Pope Leo XIV opens a new chapter in the history of the Catholic Church and the values of love, humanity and charity, particularly to the underprivileged that it has consistently projected.
“President Tinubu prays that the Almighty God will continuously shed his light of glory over the new leader of the Catholic Church and grant him good health and wisdom so that he can reach the world with the message of peace and love.”
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