President Bola Tinubu has called on Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora to transform the country's diversity into a catalyst for stability and rapid development rather than allowing it to become a source of division.

The President made this appeal during a meeting with members of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria in Rome, where he attended 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 stated, according to a release by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The President further urged leaders at all levels to prioritize the welfare of citizens, while noting the historic significance of being Nigeria's president during the inauguration of a new pope.

Archbishop Lucius Ugorji of Owerri, who serves as president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for facilitating their visits to the Vatican—both for the late Pope Francis' burial and for Pope Leo XIV's inauguration.

"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," Archbishop Ugorji said.

The meeting was attended by several prominent Catholic leaders, including Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja, Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos, and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese.

This engagement signals what the Archbishop described as "a new era of a more robust relationship" between the presidency and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria.