By Fr. OKHUELEIGBE OSEMHANTIE AMOS

History has once again stirred the soul of the Catholic Church. The elevation of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, OSA, to the papacy as Pope Leo XIV marks the first time a United States citizen has ascended the throne of St. Peter?a moment that echoes with significance across continents. Yet in Nigeria, this moment carries a deeper resonance: not as distant observers, but as a people who repeatedly welcomed him on their soil, saw his humility up close, and now rejoice in the rise of a friend.

First Visit to Nigeria: A Historic Bond

Long before his name rang out from the loggia of St. Peter?s Basilica, Robert Francis Prevost was no stranger to the Nigerian Church. Elected Prior General of the Order of St. Augustine in September 2001

he made his first visit to Nigeria just two months later, on November 27, 2001.

That visit was historic: it marked the elevation of the Augustinian Vicariate in Nigeria to the status of a Province. At St. Monica?s Catholic Church, Rantya, Jos, Plateau State, he presided over the oath-taking ceremony of the first Prior Provincial, Very Rev. Fr. Patrick Akinrimisi. It was a moment of fraternal pride and ecclesial affirmation, signaling the confidence of the global Order in Nigeria?s maturity and promise.

The 2016 Return: Simplicity in Brotherhood

In 2016, three years after completing his twelve-year tenure (2001?2013) as Prior General, Cardinal Prevost returned to Nigeria in a different role. That year, the Nigerian Province of the Order of St. Augustine hosted a global meeting of all Augustinian Major Superiors at the Daughters of Divine Love Retreat and Conference Centre (DRACC) in Lugbe, Abuja.

Cardinal Prevost was there not as a superior, but as a chapter member?a brother among brothers. His quiet presence affirmed the strength and vitality of the Nigerian Province. It wasn?t about position; it was about solidarity, fraternity, and a shared vision for the Church?s future, especially in Africa.

Encounters That Echo Still

While in Nigeria, he also visited key Augustinian houses including the foundational community in Iwaro-Oka, Ondo State, and the St. John Community in Abuja. These were not grand ceremonial affairs, but intimate encounters marked by prayer, community, and pastoral encouragement. He listened, shared, and celebrated with the local Church, attentive to its pulse and inspired by its faith.

Although some earlier reports incorrectly suggested he once had a Nigerian friar as his personal secretary, that detail has been clarified. Still, his genuine closeness to Nigeria and deep appreciation for its Church are undisputed.

A Pope from Afar, A Friend at Heart

Now, as he takes up the mantle of the papacy as Leo XIV, the Church in Nigeria does not merely witness history?it participates in it. It remembers the man who once walked her paths, prayed in her chapels, and shared her burdens and joys. His election is not merely the rise of an American pope; it is the ascent of a companion, a pastoral friend of Nigeria.

For Nigeria, this is more than history. It is a shared testimony of communion and kinship. The Church in Nigeria has not only gained a pope?it has seen a familiar soul, a known voice, a gentle witness to her faith, rise to the seat of Peter.

As incense rises in Rome, so too do hearts in Nigeria, lifted by a bond forged not in politics or protocol, but in the quiet grace of friendship, pastoral presence, and mutual love in Christ.

?Rev Fr. Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Amos, PhD, a News Express Special Contributor, is of the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

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