Akpabio leads Nigeria’s delegation to Pope Francis’ funeral

By Salif Atojoko

 President Bola Tinubu has sent a high-powered delegation to Vatican City to attend the burial of His Holiness, Pope Francis, on Saturday, April 26.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio will head the five-member delegation, Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy, said in a Statement on Friday

Other members of the delegation are: Amb. Bianca Ojukwu, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs; Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Matthew Kukah of Sokoto Diocese and Archbishop Ignatius Ayua Kaigama of Abuja Diocese.

Pope Francis, the revered head of the Roman Catholic Church, died on April 21, at 88, just a day after appearing for Easter Sunday celebrations at the Vatican.

The delegation will formally deliver a letter conveying President Tinubu’s sympathy and condolences on the death of the Pope to the Acting Head of the Vatican.

On Monday, President Tinubu joined the Catholic faithful and Christians worldwide to mourn Pope Francis, 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, Tinubu remarked that Francis’s death, coming just after the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, was a sacred return to his Maker at a time of renewed hope for Christians. (NAN)