Pope Leo XIV bids farewell to Equatorial Guinea and, with it, all of Africa, as he celebrates Mass in Malabo Stadium, the final event of his 11-day Apostolic Journey to four African nations.
As he celebrates the final Mass of his Apostolic Journey to four African nations, Pope Leo XIV encourages the Church in Equatorial Guinea to carry on “the mission of Jesus’ first disciples with joy," highlighting the importance of allowing Scripture to reveal the meaning of our lives.
On his last full day in Africa, Pope Leo XIV travels to Bata, where he has a moving encounter with inmates in the city’s prison.
On the last full day of his Apostolic Journey across Africa, Pope Leo celebrates Mass at the continent's second-largest church, tells prisoners that "no one is excluded from God’s love”, and watches as the young people of Bata dance in the rain.
To the young people and families gathered at the Bata Stadium, Leo XIV, responding one by one to the testimonies presented for reflection, spoke about the value of effort and discipline in life and dignified work, the challenges faced by women in the workplace, the happiness found in giving oneself to God, and the exciting mission of being spouses and parents.
During his visit to Equatorial Guinea‘s coastal city of Bata, Pope Leo XIV honours the victims of a tragic explosion in a military base in 2021.
During his visit to Bata Prison in Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo XIV emphasised that no one is excluded from God’s love, calling for justice that restores dignity and supports rehabilitation, while encouraging inmates to believe in the possibility of change.
The Pope will preside over the Mass with the priestly ordinations on Sunday, April 26, which is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Two days earlier, there will be a prayer vigil at St. John Lateran.
One day after the first anniversary of Pope Francis' passing, Pope Leo XIV makes a brief visit to an educational institution in Mongomo named after the late pontiff, which works to help young people in Equatorial Guinea develop technological skills and training.
On the second day of his Apostolic Journey to Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in Mongomo, and urges Christians to proclaim the Gospel and build a future of hope and reconciliation for their resource-rich land.
A musical oratorio marking the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ death will be performed in Mdina, Malta, with proceeds supporting a Church-run home for persons in need.
Pope Leo XIV leaves Angola and arrives in Equatorial Guinea, kicking off the final leg of his intense Apostolic Journey in four African countries.
Fr Inocencio Moisés, a Claretian in Malabo, reflects on the significance of Pope Leo XIV’s presence in the Catholic-majority country, and he highlights key ways the Church in Equatorial Guinea has changed since the last visit by a Pope in 1982.
At the Jean Pierre Olie Psychiatric Hospital in Malabo, Pope Leo highlights the call of all hospitals, especially ones with a Christian mission, to be a civilization of love “where a person is welcomed as they are and respected in their frailty.”
Pope Leo XIV remembers Pope Francis on the first anniversary of his passing, saying that the late Pope "remained a disciple of the Lord, faithful to his Baptism and to his consecration in episcopal ministry, until the end."
During his meeting with the World of Culture in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea at the National University's León XIV Campus, Pope Leo reiterates the perfect complementarity between faith and reason, and criticizes when Christ is reduced to 'a religious escape in the face of intellectual endeavors.'
Addressing authorities, civil society and members of the diplomatic corps in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo XIV invites those gathered to reject exclusion, uphold human dignity, and orient development towards the common good rather than power and profit.
Aboard the flight from Angola to Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo XIV recalls his predecessor Pope Francis on the first anniversary of his death, saying the late Pope “gave so much through his life and his closeness to the poor.”