NewsFeed Pope Leo wrapped up his 10-day four-nation tour of Africa in Equatorial Guinea, before heading back to Rome. During the tour he denounced the direction of global leadership, despotism and war, and condemned US President Donald Trump actions. Published On 23 Apr 202623 Apr 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Source link
new video loaded: ‘God Will Never Abandon You,’ Pope Tells Prisoners in Equatorial Guinea Pope Leo XIV offered words of encouragement at a prison in the tiny authoritarian nation of Equatorial Guinea, one of four countries he visited during a tour of Africa. By Axel Boada April 23, 2026 Source link
ROME — Pope Leo XIV returned to the Vatican from a 11-day trip to Africa on Thursday with his papacy seemingly transformed — a pontiff known during his first year for being tempered and at times careful to a fault suddenly demonstrating an ability to roar. Source link
François Picard is pleased to welcome Tutu Alicante, international human rights lawyer.and anti-corruption activist. According to Mr. Alicante, the Pope’s visit to Equatorial Guinea presents a paradox: it offers a rare opportunity to spotlight injustice, yet risks being appropriated by the regime for its own validation. Could the “global moral authority” inadvertently lend credence to the authoritarian regime? Equatorial Guinea’s resources have failed to lift up society and translate into human dignity. Governance remains defined by exclusion, repression, and the erosion of accountability. The key question is not the symbolism of the visit, but whether it serves as a catalyst for meaningful change, whether it amplifies the call for justice, transparency, and human rights, or merely reinforces the status quo. Ultimately, he argues that the responsibility lies not only with global actors like the Vatican, but also with media, civil society, and citizens, to ensure that the message of reform prevails over the spectacle of power. He highlights “it’s not often that you get a pope that can come to your country and speak in your language” and …
(RNS) — This week’s photo selection includes Pope Leo XIV in Africa, the Bengali New Year and more. Source link
(RNS) — The conflict between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV — whom many consider the two most powerful Americans — has been covered nearly incessantly in recent weeks. While this is more like a collision between two radically different forms of authority, U.S. presidents have had other clashes with popes over political and moral issues throughout history. This nation was founded as a Protestant-majority country, and the great waves of European immigrants in the 19th century, many of them Catholic, led to both anti-Catholic and nativist sentiments. The very long papacy of Pius IX (1846-1878) did not do much to quell American fears that the Catholic Church was incompatible with democracy. In his 1864 “Syllabus of Errors,” the pope stated that freedom of religion was among these “errors” — one that would seem to be in direct conflict with the First Amendment. Meanwhile, the U.S. was not released from its status as mission territory by Rome until 1908, a very late recognition by the Vatican of American sovereign legitimacy. And in 1870, the …
MALABO, Equatorial Guinea (RNS) — Pope Leo XIV arrived in Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday morning (April 21), greeted by cheering crowds and a Catholic Church that sees his visit as both a spiritual embrace and a moment for national reflection. “This visit is like a sign that God has not forgotten His people,” said Malabo Archbishop Juan Nsue Edjang Mayé, ahead of the pope’s arrival. “It brings encouragement not only to Catholics, but to the whole nation, especially in times that call for unity and hope.” The pontiff landed in Malabo after concluding his visit to Angola, marking the final leg of a multicountry African tour that has consistently emphasized peace, accountability and the moral responsibilities of leadership. Observers say the pope’s visit comes at a sensitive moment in Equatorial Guinea, as growing economic pressures and long-standing governance concerns continue to shape daily life for many citizens. The Vatican has indicated that Pope Leo will address these issues during his visit. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope is expected to speak about corruption, governance …
To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Try again EYE ON AFRICA © FRANCE 24 Issued on: 21/04/2026 – 16:51Modified: 21/04/2026 – 16:52 13:11 min From the show Reading time 1 min In today’s programme: Pope Leo XIV is in Angola, where he slammed exploitation and corruption by the rich and powerful before 40,000 faithful at an open-air mass in the city of Saurimo. Also, the Congolese government and the M23 rebel group say they have agreed to ease humanitarian aid deliveries and release prisoners within 10 days. And in Mali, more than a thousand people flee across the border into Mauritania, seeking safety from armed groups. Source link
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Francis will likely be remembered for his gestures: his lone walk under the rain in St. Peter’s Square to pray during the pandemic, his embrace of migrants, his unscripted phone calls and off-the-cuff remarks. But behind the images, the pontificate of Jorge Bergoglio was built on something quieter — “starting processes” as he would say, a strategy aimed not at immediate results, but at shaping the future of the Catholic Church long after his death. From church reform to episcopal appointments and a renewed focus on the peripheries, Francis planted seeds meant to outlast him. Halfway through Francis’ papacy, many observers — especially in a Western world accustomed to measuring leadership in terms of mandates, milestones and results — were wondering what the pope had actually accomplished during his pontificate. Despite fierce pressure from both progressives and conservatives, Francis made relatively few formal doctrinal changes. Those he did enact could be counted on one hand: revising the catechism of the Catholic Church to declare the death penalty inadmissible; repudiating the …
Pope Leo XIV arrived on Tuesday to Equatorial Guinea for the final leg of his four-nation African journey, arriving in a country that presents perhaps the most diplomatically delicate challenge of this trip and his young papacy. The papal plane landed in the city of Malabo at around 11:35am, with a crowd of officials and citizens at the local airport and along the major roads to welcome him. “There is a lot of joy today because we waited 44 years for the pope to come, after the visit of John Paul II,” said Diosdao Marques, a senior Catholic official in the country. “It’s a blessing for the country, we hope many things will change and we will deepen our faith.” The former Spanish colony on Africa’s western coast is run by Africa’s longest-serving president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, 83. He has been in power since 1979 and is accused of widespread corruption and authoritarianism. The discovery of offshore oil in the mid-1990s transformed Equatorial Guinea’s economy virtually overnight, with oil now accounting for almost half of …
