According to Punch Newspaper report, Gallagher made the disclosure to journalists after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja on Saturday.
He was quoted as saying the Vatican has maintained a steady presence in Nigeria through its Nuncio and past papal visits, adding that a visit by Pope Leo “in a few years’ time” was possible, though nothing was yet certain.
The report noted that before his election in May 2025, Pope Leo XIV — then known as Father Robert Francis Prevost — visited Nigeria nine times in his roles as Prior General of the Augustinian Order and later as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, travelling between 2001 and 2016 to cities including Lagos, Jos, Benin, Bida, Ibusa, Iwaro Oka-Akoko, Kano, Warri, Kaduna and Abuja.
The report added that although the Pope undertook his first apostolic trip to Africa in April 2026 — a 10-day tour of Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea — Nigeria, home to over 30 million Catholics and the continent’s largest number of Catholic archbishops, was left off the itinerary.
Per Punch, Gallagher pointed to Tinubu’s recent appointment of Paul Adikwu as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to the Holy See as a sign of strong bilateral ties, describing his meeting with the President as “very nice” and part of engagements marking the upcoming 50th anniversary of Nigeria-Holy See diplomatic relations.
Responding, Tinubu said he looked forward to hosting the Pope in Nigeria, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy cited by Punch. The President reportedly recalled leading Nigeria’s delegation to Pope Leo’s inauguration, describing it as “a moment of history,” and spoke of the Catholic Church’s role in education, health and humanitarian work dating back to his tenure as Lagos State governor.
Tinubu also urged Nigeria’s bishops and religious leaders to continue promoting peace and tolerance, and, addressing the country’s security crisis, argued that the ongoing killings were not driven by religion — citing his wife’s role as a pastor at an evangelical church as evidence, Punch reported. He further assured Gallagher that the military had made progress against insecurity, with more resources being channelled into surveillance and youth empowerment to curb radicalisation.
Also speaking at the meeting, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, was quoted by Punch as describing the country’s Catholic population and clergy as evidence of a substantive relationship with the Holy See, noting that diplomatic ties date back to 1976, with Nigeria opening its Vatican mission in 2012. She highlighted the Church’s contributions to education, healthcare, interfaith dialogue and humanitarian response across Nigeria and the wider continent.