Pope Leo XIV Arrives in Equatorial Guinea for First Papal Visit Since 1982

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, for the final leg of his four-nation African journey, marking his first visit to the country since St. John Paul II’s trip in 1982. The papal plane landed at Malabo International Airport around 11:35 a.m., where he was greeted by crowds of faithful and officials along the route to the presidential palace.

The pope arrived in his open-sided popemobile, wearing his formal red mozzetta cape, and was welcomed by Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and his wife, Constancia Mangue de Obiang. Senior Catholic official Diosdao Marques expressed the nation’s joy, saying, “There is a lot of joy today because we waited 44 years for the pope to come, after the visit of John Paul II. It’s a blessing for the country, we hope many things will change and we will deepen our faith.”

Equatorial Guinea, a former Spanish colony on Africa’s western coast, has been governed by President Obiang since 1979, making him Africa’s longest-serving president. His administration has faced accusations of widespread corruption and authoritarianism, with rights groups such as Human Rights Watch documenting how oil revenues have enriched the ruling Obiang family rather than the broader population.

The discovery of offshore oil in the mid-1990s transformed the country’s economy, with oil now accounting for nearly half of its GDP and over 90% of exports, according to the African Development Bank. Despite this wealth, more than half of the nation’s nearly 2 million people live in poverty.