More than half of Equatorial Guinea's nearly 2 million people live in poverty, despite the nation's vast offshore oil wealth, which has instead enriched the ruling Obiang family for about 30 years. This stark national dispossession forms the backdrop for Pope Leo XIV's visit, a diplomatically sensitive engagement with Africa's longest-serving president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has held power for 47 years.
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday, marking the final leg of his four-nation African journey. The visit presents a significant diplomatic challenge for the young papacy, as the former Spanish colony is governed by President Obiang, 83, who faces accusations of widespread corruption and authoritarianism.
The discovery of offshore oil in the mid-1990s fundamentally reshaped Equatorial Guinea’s economy. Oil now accounts for nearly half of the nation's GDP and more than 90% of its exports, according to the African Development Bank. However, this resource abundance has failed to uplift the native population.
Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, alongside court cases in France and Spain, have documented how these substantial revenues have systematically enriched the ruling Obiang family, rather than benefiting the broader populace.
Pope Leo has previously spoken sharply on his maiden African journey, particularly regarding social inequity and corruption. In Cameroon last week, he met with President Paul Biya, 93, who has been in power for 44 years and also faces accusations of authoritarian rule. In his arrival speech, Leo stated that “the chains of corruption — which disfigure authority and strip it of its credibility — must be broken,” and “Hearts must be set free from an idolatrous thirst for profit.”
Elite Capture and National Dispossession
Equatorial Guinea is officially a secular state, yet the Catholic Church holds a central position within its political and social systems. Tutu Alicante, a U.S.-based activist leading the EG Justice rights group, noted that church leaders are “very much interconnected intrinsically with the government.” Alicante further explained that this connection stems from both the fear instilled by the government and “the monetary gains that the church derives from this government.”
Rev. Fortunatus Nwachukwu, the No. 2 in the Vatican’s missionary evangelization office, affirmed the Catholic Church’s presence in “difficult civil spaces,” stating the Church knows how to operate within them to fulfill its mission. Nwachukwu clarified the Church’s stance, saying, “Should the church go to war against the government? Surely no,” while also asserting that the Church must continue to preach justice, defending life, human dignity, and the common good.
This approach is particularly challenging in Equatorial Guinea, where approximately 75% of the population identifies as Catholic, making it one of Africa's most Catholic nations. Despite this, it is also considered one of the most oppressed, with the government facing rampant accusations of harassment, arrest, and intimidation targeting political opponents, critics, and journalists.
Transparency International’s annual corruption perception index consistently ranks Equatorial Guinea among the bottom 10 countries globally. Samuel Kaninda, the organization’s regional advisor for Africa, acknowledged recent governmental steps, including an anti-corruption law and efforts to fund an anti-corruption commission. However, Kaninda stressed the necessity for this commission and the judiciary to be truly independent to investigate and ensure accountability, highlighting the ongoing lack of genuine institutional checks on power.
The Supranational Engagement
Pope Leo's packed schedule includes meetings with President Obiang, followed by speeches to government authorities and diplomats, and another address at the national university. He will also celebrate Masses, visit a psychiatric hospital and a prison, and engage with young people and their families. Before his departure on Thursday, he is scheduled to pray at a memorial for victims of a 2021 blast at a military barracks in Bata, an incident blamed on negligent dynamite handling that killed over 100 people in its fifth year since the blast.
While the first papal visit since St. John Paul II came 44 years ago in 1982 has brought some temporary economic activity, such as seamstress Tumi Carine receiving increased business for dresses stamped with Leo’s image, this localized benefit stands in stark contrast to the widespread poverty and systemic dispossession faced by the majority of the native population under the entrenched regime.