Pope Leo arrived on Tuesday in Equatorial Guinea, led by the world’s longest-serving president, marking the final leg of a four-nation Africa tour during which he has issued sharp denunciations of despotism and inequality.
Leo, who has drawn the ire of Donald Trump with his outspoken comments, arrived from Angola, where on Monday he lamented that many people globally were being “exploited by authoritarians and defrauded by the rich”.
His remarks are the latest indication of a more forceful speaking style he has embraced during his time in Africa.
On the flight from Angola to Malabo, on the island of Bioko in the Gulf of Guinea, Leo paid tribute to his predecessor, Pope Francis, who died one year ago.
He is scheduled to deliver a speech to political leaders after meeting President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has been in power since 1979; three years before the country’s only previous papal visit by Pope John Paul II in 1982.
Leo’s arrival "presents a profound opportunity to affirm, clearly and convincingly, that human dignity, justice, and accountability are not optional, but essential responsibilities of governance,” Tutu Alicante, a U.S.-based human rights lawyer and activist from Equatorial Guinea, told Reuters.
More than 70% of the country’s population of 1.8 million identify as Catholic.
Obiang, whose government oversaw a now-declining oil boom that began in the 1990s, has been widely criticised as one of the most repressive leaders in the region. He denies allegations of human rights abuses and corruption.
Leo, who spent decades as a missionary in Peru before becoming pope, is expected to speak Spanish throughout his two-day visit to the former Portuguese and Spanish colony.
The pope is undertaking an ambitious 10-day Africa tour, one of the most complex ever conducted by a Catholic leader, with stops in 11 cities and towns across four countries, covering nearly 18,000 km (11,185 miles) over 18 flights.
Wednesday is set to be the most intensive day of the tour, with the pope taking three flights to visit three cities across Equatorial Guinea.
In Bata, he will visit a high-security detention centre that Amnesty International has described as one of three notorious facilities in the country where detainees, including political prisoners, are often held for years without access to lawyers or their families.
The government rejects criticism of its justice system and maintains that it operates an open democracy.
Alicante said that while some facilities had been improved ahead of Leo’s arrival, comprehensive and lasting reforms remain necessary.
“The real test will be whether humane conditions, access to medical care, and basic rights are sustained long after the papal visit concludes,” he said.
Leo will also pray in Bata at the site of a series of explosions in 2021 at a military barracks that killed more than 100 people. The government blamed the incident on poor storage of ordnance.
Human rights activists have called for an independent investigation into the explosions, so far without success.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education, living costs and military service proposals. Violence erupted in Fra...
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's f...
Since 2021, only 9 per cent of $8 billion in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan can be traced beyond initial recipients in public re...
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estimated $2.1 billion, but Kyiv could face years of delays before receiving the weapons it urgently needs to defend against intensifying Russian attacks.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered Iran's armed forces to respond to any threat immediately and without geographical limits in statements posted to social media platforms on Saturday (31 October).
Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and placards supporting the hijab gathered outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in London.
A Chinese-made AI chip has matched Nvidia’s H200 in tests conducted by its developer, marking a potential breakthrough in China’s efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign technology.
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education, living costs and military service proposals. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, as a hostile group, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Thousands protested in Albania's capital, Tirana, on Saturday (31 October), demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation over perceived corruption allegations and dissatisfaction with the government over a lack of jobs and poor education standards.
Russia has agreed to work with Ghana on developing a 2,000-megawatt nuclear power plant following talks at the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said on Saturday.
Foreign ministers from the U.S., Japan, Australia and India raised concerns over export restrictions and economic coercion at a Quad meeting in Atlanta, U.S., on Saturday, 31 October 2026, according to their joint statement.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment