Long before he was elected pope of the Catholic Church, Robert Prevost touched down on Nigerian soil in 2016.
Now known as Pope Leo XIV, the new American pontiff visited Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, almost a decade ago as part of his duties as an Augustinian leader, engaging with members of the order and the broader Catholic community.
A photo posted on his X account showed him posing with Catholic leaders — some believed to have accompanied him from abroad, while others were Nigerian clergy dressed in black and white cassocks.
“For the first time, General Chapter of the Order of St. Augustine on the African continent — Abuja, Nigeria,” the post which was translated from Spanish to English, reads.
The photo was dated September 29, 2016.
At the time, Leo was Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru.
Robert Prevost (middle with the Rosary chain) with Augustinian fellows in Abuja
Leo is a prominent member of the Order of St. Augustine, a Catholic religious order with a history dating back to the 13th century.
The Order emphasises community life, interior search for God, and service to others, following in the footsteps of St. Augustine, who harped on unity of mind and heart for the glory of God.
Before he was made bishop, Prevost served as Provincial of the Augustinian Province in Chicago from 1999-2001, and later served two terms as Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine from 2001-2013.
The last papal visit to Nigeria was by Pope John Paul II in 1998, who also visited the country in 1982.
Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor, limited his African trips to Kenya, Uganda, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu congratulated Leo on his election as the Bishop of Rome.
Tinubu, who rejoiced with Nigerian Catholics, said the new pope’s message of faith and hope resonates across the globe.
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