Pope Leo ends Africa tour with prison visit

Pope Leo concludes historic 10-day African tour with a symbolic prison visit in Equatorial Guinea, underscoring themes of mercy and justice. | Contesto: cronaca

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• Pope Leo ends Africa tour with prison visit

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Pope Leo wrapped up his 10-day, four-nation tour of Africa on Wednesday with a visit to a prison in Equatorial Guinea, capping a journey that took him to some of the continent’s most populous and diverse nations. The pontiff’s final stop, at the Black Beach prison on the outskirts of Malabo, was a stark contrast to the massive outdoor Masses and stadium rallies that marked earlier legs of the trip. Church officials said the visit was meant to highlight the Catholic Church’s commitment to prisoners and the marginalized, a recurring theme of Leo’s papacy. The 10-day tour, which began in Nigeria and included stops in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, was the Pope’s longest and most ambitious African journey to date. It aimed to strengthen ties with a region where Catholicism is growing rapidly, even as the Church faces challenges from secularism and competition from evangelical and Pentecostal movements. In each country, Leo delivered messages of peace, reconciliation, and economic justice, often speaking directly to political leaders about corruption and inequality. Equatorial Guinea, a small Central African nation with a history of authoritarian rule, presented a particularly complex backdrop for the Pope’s final day. The country’s president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, one of the world’s longest-serving leaders, met with Leo at the airport upon arrival. While the Vatican did not disclose details of their private conversation, observers noted that the Pope’s decision to visit a prison, rather than a government palace or a university, carried symbolic weight in a nation where political dissent is often suppressed. During the prison visit, Leo spoke with inmates, many of whom had been convicted of minor crimes or were awaiting trial. He washed the feet of a dozen prisoners in a gesture of humility and service, a ritual he has performed on Holy Thursday in Rome but rarely abroad. The prisoners, some of whom were visibly moved, received rosaries and personal blessings from the pontiff. “The Church does not forget you,” Leo told them, according to a statement released by the Vatican press office. The Africa tour also had a pastoral...

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Categoria: cronaca