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Pope Leo XIV Urges Economic Justice in Poverty-Stricken Equatorial Guinea

4/22/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Pope Leo XIV concluded his Africa tour in Equatorial Guinea and denounced the colonization of Africa's minerals and the lust for power under President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (r. since 1979).
Despite the oil wealth, more than half of its nearly 2 million citizens live in poverty.
He cited the late Pope Francis, saying, "Such an economy kills," and urged a shift toward a more just economy.

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Story summary

Pope Leo XIV concluded his Africa tour in Equatorial Guinea and denounced the colonization of Africa's minerals and the lust for power under President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (r. since 1979).
Despite the oil wealth, more than half of its nearly 2 million citizens live in poverty.
He cited the late Pope Francis, saying, "Such an economy kills," and urged a shift toward a more just economy.