Pope Leo XIV begins the final stage of his African journey on Tuesday with a stop in Equatorial Guinea, where his increasingly strident defenses of human rights will be widely monitored in one of the continent’s most closed-off countries.
After three days in Angola, the US-born pontiff will arrive in Central Africa at noon (1100 GMT), where Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, 83, the world’s longest-serving non-monarchical head of state, has reigned since 1979.
Leo follows in the footsteps of John Paul II, who was the first pope to visit Equatorial Guinea 40 years ago, an oil-rich country of two million people, 80 percent of whom are Catholic as a result of Spanish colonization.
Throughout his African journey, the pope has condemned dictatorship and exploitation while encouraging peace and social justice, abandoning his typically quiet manner for a more assertive tone.
All eyes are on whether this pattern will continue in Equatorial Guinea, where he will be hosted by a regime frequently accused of authoritarianism and human rights violations.
The majority of the country’s opposition figures and independent media, who have been targeted by the authorities, are in exile in Spain.
International non-governmental organizations (NGOs) frequently single out Equatorial Guinean authorities for widespread corruption and opposition repression, including arbitrary detentions and restrictions on public freedoms.
Giant images of the pope and welcome banners line the streets of Malabo, the former capital on the island of Bioko in the Gulf of Guinea, beside the Vatican and Equatorial Guinea flags.
During his visit, church choirs across the country will sing a song written in his honor.
Juan Raul, a Malabo resident, told AFP that he sees the visit as an opportunity to bring the nation together.
“This will bring spiritual change and motivate many people to go to mass,” he said.
On Tuesday, Leo will address the president, members of the government, diplomats, civil society leaders, and cultural representatives.
On Wednesday, he will visit Obiang’s Mongomo stronghold to celebrate mass and welcome students and instructors at a technological school named after Pope Francis.
He will then travel to Bata, the economic center, to pay tribute to the victims of a 2021 explosion that killed more than 108 people in a military camp, as well as to visit convicts at Bata Prison.
On Thursday, the pontiff will hold a massive mass at Malabo Stadium before concluding his marathon 11-day 18,000-kilometer (11,200-mile) trek across Africa.
