By Ignatius Igwe

President Bola Tinubu has rejoiced with the Roman Catholic Church on the emergence of Pope Leo XIV as the Bishop of Rome and the new leader of the church.

In a statement on Thursday, presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said his principal also prayed for the successful tenure of the new Pope.

“The President felicitates the Conclave for electing the American Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost as the 267th Bishop of Rome. President Tinubu rejoices with the leadership of 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 statement partly read.

Tinubu said Nigeria and the Holy See have shared values over many years.

He also acknowledged the rewarding partnership with the Catholic Church in peacebuilding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and, more recently, the promotion of technology in advancing human capacity and is confident that 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.

The President, therefore, prayed 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.

Robert Francis Prevost became Pope Leo XIV on Thursday after cardinals from around the globe chose him to be the first leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics to hail from the United States.

Tens of thousands of well-wishers cheered as Leo, successor to the late Pope Francis, appeared on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to deliver the first address of his ministry.

“To all people, wherever they are, to all peoples, to the whole Earth, peace be with you,” a smiling Leo told the crowd.

“Help us, and each other, to build bridges through dialogue, through encounter, to come together as one people, always in peace.”

Leo’s speech drew warm applause, especially a section where the prelate — who spent many years in Peru — broke into Spanish, and also when he paid tribute to his popular predecessor Francis, who died last month.

“We still keep in our ears that weak, but always courageous, voice of Pope Francis blessing Rome,” he said, referring to the ailing Argentine’s Easter Sunday address, a day before his death.

“We must seek together how to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges, which hold dialogues, which is always open,” he said.