Pope Leo XIV is set to visit a prison notorious for its poor conditions in Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday, as his extensive African tour nears its conclusion.
The pope, who arrived in the oil-rich but highly unequal nation on Tuesday after previous stops in Algeria, Cameroon and Angola, will meet inmates at the Bata Prison in the coastal city of Bata.
The facility has been criticised by human rights groups for extreme overcrowding, poor sanitation and alleged mistreatment of prisoners.
During his visit to Bata, the pope is also expected to meet families and young people at the city’s stadium and honour victims of a tragic accident in 2021 when a fire triggered a series of explosions at a munitions depot, killing more than 100 people and injuring around 600 others.
In addition to Bata, the pontiff will travel to Mongomo near the Gabon border, where he will celebrate Mass and visit a school.
The pope began his visit on Tuesday with remarks urging Equatorial Guinea to place itself “in the service of law and justice,” a statement widely interpreted as a call for improved governance in a country frequently criticised for human rights abuses.
However, his tone was more measured than at previous stops on the tour, where he condemned “tyrants” exploiting global crises and criticised economic exploitation by powerful nations. He also exchanged sharp remarks with Donald Trump after the former U.S. president questioned the pontiff’s call for an end to the conflict in the Middle East.
At 70, Pope Leo must navigate a delicate diplomatic balance in Equatorial Guinea, offering pastoral support to the country’s large Catholic population while avoiding overt endorsement of the government of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has ruled the country since 1979 and is currently the world’s longest-serving non-monarch head of state.
About 80 percent of the country’s roughly two million citizens identify as Catholics, a legacy of Spanish colonial rule.
Despite its substantial oil wealth, the country faces stark economic inequality. Hydrocarbon production accounts for about 46 percent of its economy and more than 90 percent of exports, according to the African Development Bank.
Rights groups such as Human Rights Watch have argued that the nation’s vast oil revenues largely benefit a small elite while many citizens continue to live in poverty.
The pope was welcomed on Tuesday by President Obiang and later addressed an event attended by the vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, popularly known as Teodorin.
Teodorin was convicted in France in 2019 for money laundering and embezzlement of public funds and is widely known for his extravagant lifestyle, often displayed on social media, in stark contrast to the widespread poverty experienced by many citizens.
The pontiff is expected to conclude his 11-day, 18,000-kilometre African journey on Thursday with an open-air Mass in the capital, Malabo, before returning to Rome.
