In a gesture of interfaith solidarity, the Lagos State University Muslim Community (LASUMC) has extended warm congratulations to Catholics worldwide on the election of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, as the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
Describing the papacy as a symbol of global peace and moral leadership, LASUMC noted that Pope Leo XIV’s 14-year mission in underdeveloped regions of Peru has equipped him with the humility and compassion needed for the role.
In a goodwill message delivered in Lagos, Chief Imam Prof. Amidu Sanni praised the pontiff’s background and expressed hope for continued collaboration among faiths to promote justice, tolerance, and humanitarian values across the world.
Sanni said that the Pope had a rich background of an uncommon rapprochement with the poor and ordinary priests.
“Pope Leo’s first public address as the first American Pontiff strikes a philosophical note if juxtaposed with the world perception of the current leadership in the U.S. as he also advocates peace over power.
“His call for disarmament and reconciliation in all conflict zones of the world also strikes a moral chord in a tumultuous world that is bedevilled by violent conflicts, fear, trade wars, deep political divides, nuclear threats, and disrespect for human dignity.
“Let me use this opportunity to call on African leaders to imbibe this new spirit of love and public good which is being engendered by the new pontiff in order to create a new regime of trust and goodwill between the leadership and the followership,” he said.
Reports show that Pope Leo XIV emerged in a second round of ballot on Thursday, after the first ballot on Wednesday failed to produce a new pope.
A total of 133 cardinals elected the new Pope, who is the first Pope born in the U.S. and the first North American Pope. He was born on Sept. 14, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Pope Leo XIV holds B.Sc. in Mathematics (1977), Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union, Chicago (1982), and Licentiate and Doctorate in Canon Law from Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome (1984, 1987).
