Equatorial Guinea Joins Angola in Confirming Pope Leo XIV’s First African Journey as Pontiff

Ebebiyín, 24 January, 2026 / 3:32 AM

A pastoral visit of Pope Leo XIV to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea has been officially announced, making the Central African nation the second country on the continent, after Angola, to confirm the anticipated first African journey of the Pontiff since his election in May 2025. 

The announcement followed a high-level meeting between Equatorial Guinea’s President, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, and the country’s Catholic Bishops, signalling the beginning of coordinated preparations between Church and State for what has been described as “a historic occasion,” according to a report published on Friday, January 23, by the Press Department of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE).

The report indicates that the Equatorial Guinea’s Head of State met with members of the Episcopal Conference of Equatorial Guinea (CEGE) to “coordinate preparations for a historic occasion: the upcoming visit of Pope Leo XIV to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.” 

Led by CEGE President, Bishop Juan Domingo-Beka Esono Ayang of Mongono Diocese, the Catholic Church leaders discussed logistical and organizational arrangements with the country’s Head of State. 

Following the meeting, President Obiang addressed the press, underscoring both the national significance and the international dimension of the Papal visit. 

He emphasized that Pope Leo XIV would be received with the highest level of public engagement, stating, “Equatorial Guinea is accustomed to receiving personalities, so it will mobilize the population to give it the apotheosic sense that the Holy Father deserves, to bring a good impression of the population and the name of Equatorial Guinea at the international level.”

The President further described the visit as having a dual character: pastoral, in Pope Leo XIV’s role as leader of the Catholic Church, and political, in his capacity as Head of State of the Vatican.

For the local Church, the announcement has been framed as a moment of profound spiritual significance. Bishop Domingo-Beka described the anticipated visit as “a moment of grace and joy for the people of Ecuato Guinean,” noting that it will be the first time in 44 years that a Pontiff sets foot in the country. 

He called on the people of God in parishes and other Catholic institutions nationwide to begin immediate spiritual preparation, urging them to unite around three guiding actions: “prepare, receive and live this pastoral visit of the Holy Father.”

The last Papal visit to Equatorial Guinea took place on 18 February 1982, when St. John Paul II arrived in the country, becoming the first and, until now, the only Pontiff to do so. 

The PDGE report recalls that the visit marked “a milestone in the ecclesiastical history of the country,” with Pope John Paul II encouraging Christians “in loyalty to Christ and the Church.” During that visit, the late Pontiff met President Obiang and celebrated Mass in Bata, an event that left a lasting imprint on the nation’s religious and social life. The report describes the visit as having brought “a message of peace and reconciliation,” adding that it is remembered as transformative for a country that has since “evolved and thrived.”

Since the death of Pope John Paul II, relations between Equatorial Guinea and the Holy See have remained consistently strong, the report indicates, adding that the government and the Catholic Church have repeatedly expressed their desire to host another Papal visit, with President Obiang making successive trips to the Vatican to meet each of the Pontiffs who succeeded John Paul II. 

In 2016, the presidential couple undertook a pilgrimage to Rome alongside members of the Christian faithful, further cementing ties with the Holy See. These relations bore visible fruit in 2017, when the Cathedral Basilica of Mongomo hosted the enthronement of three new bishops and the erection of two new dioceses, Mongomo and Ebibeyin.

Following the election of Pope Leo XIV, the PDGE report notes that the presidential couple travelled again to the Vatican to greet the new Pontiff and formally reiterate the invitation that is now being planned. 

As a result, the government and the Church are jointly preparing to receive Pope Leo XIV both as spiritual leader of the universal Catholic Church and as Head of State.

The confirmation of Equatorial Guinea as a Papal destination comes days after a similar announcement from Angola, making the Portuguese-speaking Southern African nation the first on the continent to publicly confirm the Holy Father’s visit. 

On January 13, the Apostolic Nuncio in Angola, Archbishop Kryspin Witold Dubiel, announced that the Holy Father had accepted invitations from both the Catholic Bishops and President João Lourenço. 

Angolan Church leaders have linked the anticipated visit to key national and ecclesial milestones, including the 450th anniversary of Luanda as a city and as a center of Christian faith. Archbishop Filomeno do Nascimento Vieira Dias of Angola’s Archdiocese of Luanda described the visit as a “moment of great human and spiritual comfort,” while Archbishop José Manuel Imbamba called on citizens to actively participate in preparatory committees.

Taken together, the confirmations from Angola and Equatorial Guinea highlight a notable linguistic and cultural dimension of Pope Leo XIV’s anticipated African itinerary. Angola represents the Lusophone world, while Equatorial Guinea stands out as Africa’s only Spanish-speaking country. 

Reports have also pointed to possible visits to Cameroon, a bilingual nation where English and French coexist, and to Algeria, an Arabic-speaking country in North Africa. 

In December 2025, Pope Leo XIV himself indicated his desire to visit Africa, specifically mentioning Algeria as a potential destination to “continue the conversation of dialogue, of building bridges between the Christian world and the Muslim world.”

If realized, such an itinerary would symbolically reflect the linguistic and cultural diversity of the African continent, while underscoring the universal character of the Catholic Church. 

For Equatorial Guinea, the Papal visit would not only mark a return of a Pontiff after more than four decades but also place the small Central African nation firmly on the global ecclesial map as it prepares to welcome Pope Leo XIV with what its President has promised will be a reception worthy of the moment.

Pope Leo XIV is the first Pontiff in modern history with firsthand knowledge of Africa. Unlike his predecessors, he had already been to Eastern, Western, Southern, Northern, and Central Africa in person. 

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