The Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations, Cardinal Paul Richard Gallagher, has hinted that Pope Leo XIV could visit Nigeria in the coming years following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting on Saturday, Gallagher said although no plans had been finalised, the possibility of a papal visit remained open.
“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,” he said.
Before his election as Pope in May 2025, Pope Leo XIV, formerly Father Robert Francis Prevost, visited Nigeria at least nine times between 2001 and 2016 in his roles as Prior General of the Augustinian Order and later Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.
His visits took him to Lagos, Jos, Benin, Bida, Ibusa, Iwaro Oka-Akoko, Kano, Warri, Kaduna and Abuja.
Although the Pontiff made his first apostolic visit to Africa in April 2026, touring Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria was not included despite being home to more than 30 million Catholics and over 10,000 Catholic priests.
Gallagher described his visit as part of activities marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the Holy See. He also commended President Tinubu’s appointment of Paul Adikwu as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to the Vatican, describing bilateral ties as “strong and healthy.”
“The President graciously received me. We had a very good meeting, and Nigeria is now sending a new ambassador to the Vatican,” he said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said the visit underscored the importance of Nigeria’s long-standing relationship with the Holy See, noting that the country has the largest number of Catholic bishops in Africa.
She said the Catholic Church continues to play a significant role in Nigeria through education, healthcare, humanitarian interventions, interfaith dialogue and peacebuilding.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu added that diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the Holy See began in 1976, while Nigeria established its resident mission to the Vatican in 2012.
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