Nigerian billionaire and businessman, Femi Otedola, has congratulated the new head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, following his election as the 267th pontiff.
The Pope, formerly known as Robert Cardinal Prevost, was elected recently to lead the over 1.5 billion Catholics around the world.
In a message posted on his Instagram page on Friday, Otedola, who is the Chancellor of Augustine University, Ilara, Lagos State, shared an old photo showing the Pope during his 2016 visit to Nigeria, when he was the Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, Governing Council, and Management of Augustine University Ilara, Epe, Lagos State, I, Femi Otedola CON, Chancellor, proudly congratulate our new Pope, Leo XIV @Pontifex, a devoted Augustinian Priest from whom our University draws its name and heritage,” Otedola wrote.
He added, “We are especially proud that His Holiness visited the Augustinian community in Abuja in 2016, where he commissioned key projects.”
The businessman ended his message with prayers for the new Pope, saying, “We pray for God’s guidance as he undertakes the sacred responsibility of leading 1.5 billion Catholics around the world.”
The shared photo showed a younger Cardinal Prevost with Catholic leaders during his 2016 visit to Abuja. Some of the clergy in the photo were believed to be Nigerian priests, while others may have come with him from abroad.
A past social media post from the new Pope, dated September 29, 2016, also highlighted that trip. It read, “For the first time, General Chapter of the Order of St. Augustine on the African continent — Abuja, Nigeria.” The post, originally written in Spanish, was translated into English.
Pope Leo XIV is a member of the Order of Saint Augustine, the religious order after which Augustine University is named. His election has sparked joy and excitement among many, especially within the Augustinian community.
