Vatican: Akpabio to represent Tinubu at Pope Francis Burial

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio will lead Nigeria’s delegation to Vatican City for the burial of His Holiness, Pope Francis, on Saturday, April 26, Pointblank News has learnt.

The Pontiff died on Easter Monday, aged 88.

Other members of the delegation are the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu; Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria; (CBCN), Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Archbishop Matthew Hassan Kukah; and Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Archbishop Ignatius Ayua Kaigama.

The delegation will formally deliver a letter conveying President Bola Tinubu’s sympathy and condolences on Pope Francis’ passing to the Vatican.

President Tinubu in a condolence message, joined the Catholic faithful and Christians worldwide to mourn the death of the Pontiff, who he described as “a humble servant of God, a tireless champion of the poor, and a guiding light for millions.”

In the condolence message, President Tinubu remarked that Pope Francis’s death, coming just after the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, is a sacred return to his Maker at a time of renewed hope for Christians.