What Pope told me about Nigeria — Dogara

 

Pope Francis says he has been praying for the peace and stability of Nigeria, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, who met the cleric said.

Mr. Dogara quoted the pope as saying this when he met with the head of the Catholic Church at Saint Peters Square, Vatican City.

The Speaker led a Nigerian delegation to the square for a morning mass where nationals and leaders from different countries of the world joined the pope for the devotion and to receive blessings from him.

Mr. Dogara, who described the meeting with Pope Francis as “awesome”, said he was pleasantly surprised and delighted to know that the pontiff was well informed about the happenings in Nigeria.

”The moment I was introduced to him as the Speaker of the Nigerian Parliament, he said, “how is Nigeria and how are you working for the peace of Nigeria? Pray for me also.”

Pope Francis then reportedly told the Speaker that he always prays for the peace of Nigeria saying, “I pray for the peace of Nigeria and pray for me also,” he was quoted as saying.

The Speaker was accompanied by the Nigerian Ambassador to the Vatican, George Umo, who disclosed that the Pope had held mass in honour of the 26 Nigerian girls that died in the Mediterranean sea while trying to enter Italy few weeks ago.

Mr. Dogara is in Italy on the invitation of the President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Laura Boldrini, for an international conference on “Human Trafficking and women empowerment: The Partnership between Nigeria and Italy.”

NAN