Pope calls for justice and closing income gap in Equatorial Guinea Mass with presidential family
Pope Francis urged Equatorial Guinea to work towards justice and close the income gap between the privileged and disadvantaged during a Mass attended by the presidential family. The country has been criticized for human rights abuses and widespread corruption under President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo's four-decade rule.
Pope Francis held a Mass in Mongomo, Equatorial Guinea, attended by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and his family. He called for justice and an end to the vast income inequalities in the country, where more than half the population lives in poverty despite an oil boom. The city of Mongomo has seen significant development, with opulent buildings and infrastructure, but human rights abuses and corruption remain widespread. The president's son, Teodoro 'Teddy' Nguema Obiang, was convicted of embezzling millions of euros by a French court. The Pope later visited a prison in Bata, highlighting judicial abuses and overcrowding. Equatorial Guinea's prisons and justice system have been repeatedly faulted by the U.N. and human rights groups.
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