- 22 April, 2026
Vatican, April 22, 2026: On the second day of his Apostolic Journey to Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass in Mongomo and urged Christians to proclaim the Gospel and build a future of hope and reconciliation for their resource-rich land.
Pope Leo XIV presided at Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in the eastern city of Mongomo on his second and penultimate day in Equatorial Guinea.
The city, with a population of around 7,000, lies just one kilometre from the border with Gabon. It is also the birthplace of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and hosted several Africa Cup of Nations football events in 2015.
In his homily, Pope Leo recalled the missionaries who began evangelising Equatorial Guinea 170 years ago and referred to the words of Pope St. Paul VI in 1969: “Africans, from now on, you are missionaries to yourselves.”
He expressed gratitude to the many missionaries, priests, religious, and lay people who have been signs of God’s love.
“Through the example of their lives,” he said, “they have played their part in bringing about the Kingdom of God, unafraid of suffering for their fidelity to Christ.”
The Pope encouraged the people of Equatorial Guinea to make a personal commitment to follow Christ and to undertake charitable works for the good of their neighbours.
“Such a commitment requires perseverance; it demands effort and, at times, sacrifice,” he said. “Yet, it is the sign that we are truly the Church of Christ.”
He noted that even when faced with persecution or challenging family situations, Christians must trust that the Lord makes the seed of His Kingdom grow and, therefore, continue to show God’s love to those around them.
God’s love, he added, will strengthen those who proclaim His name and bear witness to Him with joy.
Pope Leo further reflected on the hunger experienced by Equatorial Guineans and all people in their daily lives: hope.
“There is hunger for a future imbued with hope that is capable of engendering a new sense of justice and producing fruits of peace and fraternity,” he said. “This is not an unknown future that we must passively await, but rather one that we ourselves are called to build with God’s grace.”
He invited the people of Equatorial Guinea to contribute to the future of their nation through their choices and commitment to “safeguarding the life and dignity of every person.”
The Pope also recalled that Equatorial Guinea has been blessed with natural resources, including extensive offshore petroleum and natural gas deposits, along with largely untapped buried minerals such as gold, diamonds, and uranium.
He said this natural wealth should become a blessing for all Equatoguineans through their integral development, renewal, and transformation.
“May the Lord help you to become a society in which everyone, each according to their respective responsibilities, works ever more fully to serve the common good rather than private interests, bridging the gap between the privileged and the disadvantaged,” he said.
In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV urged the Christians of Equatorial Guinea to take responsibility for their country’s future, proclaim the Gospel, and help build a future of hope for their nation.
Courtesy: Vatican News
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