Tinubu: I Look Forward to Hosting Pope Leo XIV

President Bola Tinubu has restated his administration’s commitment to interfaith dialogue and religious harmony, describing it as central to tackling Nigeria’s security challenges.

The President spoke on Saturday in Abuja while hosting Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations, who was received at the Presidential Villa. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, brought the Archbishop into the meeting.

Tinubu recalled his longstanding ties with the Catholic Church dating back to his time as Lagos governor, when he returned mission schools seized by past military governments to their religious owners. He said the Church’s contributions to education and healthcare in Nigeria remain significant.

He also referenced leading Nigeria’s delegation to the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, calling it a historic moment and praising the Pope’s global peace efforts.

“We need his spiritual engagement, as millions around the world look up to him. I look forward to receiving him in Nigeria,” Tinubu said, urging religious leaders across faiths to keep preaching tolerance.

He noted that his wife serves as a pastor at an evangelical church, saying this reflects the government’s commitment to freedom of worship and helps ease religious tensions in the country.

On security, Tinubu said the military has recorded notable progress but stressed that gains must be protected, as a single setback could erase them. He said more resources are being channelled into surveillance, especially in previously ungoverned areas, alongside youth empowerment programmes designed to curb radicalisation and recruitment by terrorist groups.

Archbishop Gallagher, on his part, said his visit marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the Holy See, describing Nigeria as strategically important to the Catholic Church given its large Catholic population. He praised the progress of Veritas University in Abuja and described Nigeria as “the heart of Africa.”

He commended Tinubu’s peace-building efforts, particularly military-led initiatives, and thanked the government for its cooperation on visa processing for bishops. He said he expects to soon receive Nigeria’s ambassador to the Holy See, describing the current visit as the first of several planned engagements between both sides.

Gallagher was accompanied by Archbishop Michael F. Crotty, Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria; Monsignor Suman Paul Anthony; and Monsignor Patarne Koyassambia-Kozondo.