Day Nine in Africa: From Angola to Equatorial Guinea

Pope Leo XIV has begun the fourth and final leg of his Apostolic Journey in Africa. He left Angola on Tuesday morning, 21 April, after a farewell ceremony at the 4 de Fevereiro airport in Luanda, and headed north to Malabo, the former capital of Equatorial Guinea.Speaking to journalists aboard the papal plane on the first anniversary of Pope Francis’, he expressed gratitude for the great gift of the late pontiff’s life for the Church. He remembered his gestures of attention and closeness to the poor, the sick, children, and the elderly, and he spoke of the Argentine Pope’s promotion of universal fraternity, a key theme of his 12-year pontificate. He also recalled the late Pope’s message of mercy, citing the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy he called in 2015. “He spoke from the heart of God’s mercy,” Pope Leo said, and of “this great love, of forgiveness, a generous expression of the Lord’s mercy.”

Regarding Angola, he mentioned his conversation with the African country’s President, in which he said they discussed ways in which the Church can help improve health and education systems in the country, including through the construction of new hospitals and other structures. He also stressed the importance of continuing to work for the new evangelization in Angola, not by proselytizing but by witnessing to the beauty of the faith. “The joy of believers is one of the best proclamations of the faith,” he said.

About two and a half hours later, he landed in Malabo, the former capital of Equatorial Guinea, on the island of Bioko. People lined the streets, cheering and waving flags to welcome the Pope to the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa.