US EditionPope’s visit to Equatorial Guinea is a diplomatic challenge as he closes his Africa trip
The pope urged leaders to close the widening wealth gap and warned that exclusion and inequality weaken development.
- Pope Leo XIV arrived in Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday to meet President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, marking the final stop of his African journey.
- Obiang has ruled the former Spanish colony since 1979, facing persistent accusations of authoritarianism and corruption; rights groups claim oil revenues enrich the ruling family rather than the broader population.
- With about 75% of the population Catholic, more than half of nearly 2 million citizens live in poverty while oil accounts for more than 90% of exports.
- Leo declared, "the chains of corruption which disfigure authority and strip it of its credibility must be broken," and will pray Thursday at a Bata memorial for more than 100 victims of a 2021 barracks blast.
- Transparency International's Samuel Kaninda suggested the visit offers an opportunity to "shed more light on a lot more that is happening there," potentially drawing attention to systemic shortcomings in the nation.
104 Articles
104 Articles
Africa: Leo Xiv in Africa - Pope in Equatorial Guinea - 'The Church's Social Teaching Offers Guidance to All Who Seek Peace and Justice'
Malabo -- "It is always a joy to see places around the world where the Church is growing," said Pope Leo XIV at a press conference on the flight from Luanda to Malabo in Equatorial Guinea, the last country on his first trip to Africa as Pope, where he was greeted with exuberant joy by numerous faithful from the moment of his arrival. In his first address at the Presidential Palace to representatives of the government, the diplomatic corps, and c…
InsideNoVA.com
Pope to visit prison on final leg of Africa tour
Pope Leo XIV will visit a prison known for its squalid conditions in Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday, on the penultimate day of a marathon tour of Africa tour during which he has spoken out forcefully on world issues.
Pope Leo to visit prison on final leg of Africa tour
MALABO, Equatorial Guinea — Pope Leo XIV will visit a prison known for its squalid conditions in Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday, the second-to-last day of a marathon African tour on which he has spoken out forcefully on world issues. The pope, who arrived in the oil-rich but deeply unequal country on Tuesday after stops in Algeria, Cameroon and Angola, will meet with inmates at Bata prison, a facility criticised by rights experts for extreme ove…
Pope Leo visits Eq. Guinea on last stop of Africa tour
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Leo XIV left on Tuesday for the final leg of his African tour in Equatorial Guinea, where his increasingly vocal defenses of human rights will be closely watched in one of the most closed-off states on the continent.
Herald Bulletin
Pope blasts colonization of minerals in Equatorial Guinea, headed by Africa's longest-serving leader
Pope Leo XIV has denounced the “colonization” of minerals and the “lust for power” in Equatorial Guinea. He arrived on Tuesday at the end of his four-nation African trip. It's a country whose repressive leader has been in office since…
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