Key moments in final leg of Pope Leo's four-nation Africa tour

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Students in Equatorial Guinea sang and waved flags ahead of a visit by Pope Leo at a university in Malabo on Tuesday (April 21) during his four-nation Africa trip.

The visit marked a rare moment for the small Central African nation with students waiting to see Leo saying they were joyful and privileged to have a chance to see him. (4505-POPE-AFRICA/EQUATORIAL-STUDENTS)

MALABO, EQUATORIAL GUINEA (APRIL 21, 2026) (AGENCY POOL – Access all)

1. STUDENTS SINGING / WAVING FLAGS WHILE WAITING TO SEE POPE LEO

2. VARIOUS OF STUDENTS ARRIVING TO SEE POPE LEO

3. (SOUNDBITE (French) STUDENT, IRENE OYONO, SAYING:

“Yes, we’re very excited to have the Pope here. It’s the first time he’s coming here. For us young people, it’s something incredible. We’ve never had an experience like this before. So, we really appreciate it, truly. It’s really… how do you say, it’s something big, okay? It’s something big, something epic.”

Pope Leo left Equatorial Guinea’s island capital, Malabo, on Wednesday (April 22) as he headed to the mainland on the final full day of his African tour.

The pontiff travelled to Mongomo and Bata, where he met worshippers and visited a high‑security detention centre, after days of forceful speeches across Africa condemning war, inequality and abuses of power. (4612-POPE-AFRICA/EQUATORIAL-MONGOMO-MORE)

EQUATORIAL GUINEA (APRIL 22, 2026) (VATICAN MEDIA – News use only)

4. POPE LEO SHAKING HANDS NEAR PLANE

5. POPE LEO GOING UP STEPS OF PLANE, SHAKING HANDS

6. VARIOUS OF POPE LEO SITTING ALONE ON PLANE

Pope Leo criticized inequality during a Wednesday (April 22) address at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Equatorial Guinea, urging citizens of the oil-rich nation to prioritize the common good over private interests and bridge the divide between privileged elites and disadvantaged communities.

The pontiff's remarks, delivered in the largest church in Central Africa, were met with sustained applause from attendees both inside and outside the venue. Equatorial Guinea, a small country with vast oil wealth, continues to grapple with stark economic disparities. (4592-POPE-AFRICA/EQUATORIAL-MONGOMO-MASS-UPDATE)

MONGOMO, EQUATORIAL GUINEA (APRIL 22, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

7. VARIOUS OF POPE LEO TOURING ON POPEMOBILE OUTSIDE THE BASILICA OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION / FAITHFUL WAVING FLAGS AND CHEERING

(4655-POPE-AFRICA/EQUATORIAL-MONGOMO-MORE)

MONGOMO, EQUATORIAL GUINEA (APRIL 22, 2026) (AGENCY POOL - Access all)

8. WOMEN SINGING

9. POPE LEO RELEASING BALLOONS TO SKY

10. ROSARY-SHAPED BALLOON FLYING IN AIR

11. WOMEN SINGING

(4483-POPE-AFRICA/EQUATORIAL-MONGOMO-MASS)

MONGOMO, EQUATORIAL GUINEA (APRIL 22, 2026) (TVGE/HOST BROADCASTER - No Resale. For Editorial use only)

12. COLOURFUL SMOKE RISING AS POPE ARRIVES AT BASILICA

13. POPE ENTERING BASILICA, WAVING AT ATTENDEES

14. CHOIR SINGING

15. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) POPE LEO, SAYING:

“May the Lord help us to become more and more a society in which each person, according to their respective responsibilities, works for the common good and not for private interests, overcoming inequalities between the privileged and the disadvantaged, expanding spaces of freedom, and always safeguarding the dignity of the human person.”

16. VARIOUS OF ATTENDEES IN BASILICA

17. POPE LEAVING THE ALTAR

18. FAITHFUL WALKING TOWARDS POPE / POPE BLESSING FAITHFUL

19. VARIOUS OF POPE EXITING BASILICA

Pope Leo's four-nation Africa tour headed towards a dramatic close on April 22, with the pontiff speaking at a prison in Equatorial Guinea. Widely derided as one of the most repressive countries in the region, the Spanish-speaking country has been run since 1979 by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the world's longest-serving president. It has enjoyed warm ties with the U.S. in part because of its oil riches. (4744-POPE-AFRICA/EQUATORIAL-BATA-PRISON-MORE)

BATA, EQUATORIAL GUINEA (APRIL 22, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

20. PRISONERS STANDING IN FRONT OF POPE LEO

21. POPE LEO SITTING

22. PRISONERS DANCING AND SINGING

23. VARIOUS OF POPE LEO SPEAKING

24. PRISONERS HOLDING FLAGS WHILE LISTENING TO POPE LEO

25. POPE LEO ACCEPTING AND RAISING WOODEN CROSS

26. VARIOUS OF PRISONERS JUMPING AND CHANTING IN RAIN

The faithful braved heavy rain to welcome Pope Leo at a stadium in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, on April 22.

Thousands of people sang and waved flags as the pontiff's motorcade arrived at the stadium, with security surrounding his vehicle amid a downpour. The crowd continued cheering and singing despite the inclement weather conditions. (4725-POPE-AFRICA/EQUATORIAL-BATA-RAIN)

BATA, EQUATORIAL GUINEA (APRIL 22, 2026) (AGENCY POOL - Access all)

27. POPE'S VEHICLE DRIVING UNDER RAIN WITH SECURITY SURROUNDING

28. VARIOUS OF FAITHFUL UNDER HEAVY RAIN

29. VARIOUS OF FAITHFUL SINGING AND WAVING FLAGS TO WELCOME POPE LEO

Pope Leo on April 22 urged young people and families to embrace reconciliation, respect and faith, saying charity rooted in family life could help transform societies, as he wrapped up his last full day on the African continent.

Addressing youths and families during a gathering attended by church members and local officials, the pontiff told them the future of the country lay in their hands and called for harmony, mutual love and respect for the dignity of every person. (4485-POPE-AFRICA/EQUATORIAL-BATA)

BATA, EQUATORIAL GUINEA (APRIL 22, 2026) (TVGE/HOST BROADCASTER - No Resale. For Editorial use only)

30. VARIOUS OF POPE WAVING TO CROWD FROM POPEMOBILE

31. CROWD STANDING WHILE POPE LEO SPEAKS

32. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) POPE LEO, SAYING: (PARTLY OVERLAID WITH SHOTS OF DIGNITARIES SEATED AND SHOT OF CROWD)

“The light of charity, nurtured in our homes and lived out in faith, can truly transform the world—including its structures and institutions, so that every person feels respected and no one is forgotten. Sisters and brothers, let us together make this a firm resolution, a joyful commitment, so that Christ, the Crucified and Risen One, the light of Equatorial Guinea, of Africa, and of the entire world, may guide us all toward a future of hope.”

Pope Leo concluded his 10-day Africa tour on April 23 with a final mass in Equatorial Guinea, urging worshippers to embrace hope and liberation through faith before returning to the Vatican.

Delivering his 25th speech during the trip, the pope told the congregation in Malabo that faith represents a choice between despair and hope. (4858-POPE-AFRICA/EQUATORIAL-MALABO-MASS)

MALABO, EQUATORIAL GUINEA (APRIL 23, 2026) (TVGE/HOST BROADCASTER - No Resale. For Editorial use only)

33. VARIOUS OF POPE WAVING TO CROWDS AS POPEMOBILE DRIVES INSIDE STADIUM

34. FAITHFUL GATHERED, CHEERING

35. VARIOUS OF POPE WAVING TO CROWDS AS POPEMOBILE DRIVES INSIDE STADIUM

36. ALTAR WHERE POPE WILL GIVE MASS

37. VARIOUS OF POPE ARRIVING AT MASS SITE

38. EQUATORIAL GUINEA PRESIDENT TEODORO OBIANG AND FIRST LADY

39. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) POPE LEO, SAYING: (SOUNDBITE CONTINUES OVER SHOTS OF CROWD)

“As Pope Francis taught, truly the joy of the Gospel fill the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. When we share this joy, we perceive even more clearly the risk of an individualistic sadness that springs from a comfortable and greedy heart, from the unhealthy pursuit of superficial pleasures, from an isolated conscience. When the inner life is closed off in self-interest, there is no longer room for others. The poor are no longer welcome. The voice of God is no longer heard, the sweet joy of his love is no longer experienced.”

40. PEOPLE INSIDE STADIUM RECEIVING COMMUNION

41. CROWD

42. VARIOUS OF POPE LEAVING STADIUM

Pope Leo left for Rome on Thursday after wrapping up an ambitious four-nation Africa tour in which he forcefully decried the direction of global leadership, denounced despotism and war, and drew the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump. (4872-POPE-AFRICA/EQUATORIAL-DEPARTURE)

MALABO, EQUATORIAL GUINEA (APRIL 23, 2026) (TVGE/HOST BROADCASTER - No Resale. For Editorial use only)

43. VARIOUS OF POPE LEO WALKING WITH EQUATORIAL GUINEA PRESIDENT’S SON, TEODORO OBIANG NGUEMA / CLIMBING STEPS OF PLANE / WAVING / SHAKING HANDS AND ENTERING PLANE