In a statement by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, Tinubu spoke on Sunday in Rome when he received members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria.

The Catholic bishops were part of Tinubu’s delegation to attend Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration mass on Sunday.

“If we use our diversity not for adversity but for prosperity, the country’s hope is stability and progress,” Tinubu said.

The president also called on leaders at all levels to work for the betterment of the citizens.

Tinubu said it is historic to be the president of Nigeria when a new pope was inaugurated in Rome.

Lucius Ugorji, archbishop of Owerri and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, thanked Tinubu for facilitating their visits to the Vatican for the late Pope Francis’ burial and to witness the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.

He said the development signalled a new era of a more robust relationship between the president and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

“You are always there for us. Now that you have come to the Vatican, whenever we have our conference in Nigeria, we will also invite you, and we look forward to interfacing with you just as you were able to do with the Holy Father,” he said.

Ignatius Kaigama, archbishop of Abuja; Alfred Martins, archbishop of Lagos; and Mathew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic bishop of Sokoto Diocese, attended the meeting with the president.