Anonymousabout 3 hours ago
Pope Leo XIV visited Bata Prison in Equatorial Guinea on April 22, 2026, delivering an unusually direct criticism of prison conditions and inequality in the oil-rich nation ruled by President Teodoro Obiang for 47 years. While the visit produced a pre-arrival release of nearly 100 detainees, key political prisoners remain jailed, no formal reform agreements were announced, and exiled Equatorial Guineans fear the visit primarily served to legitimize the Obiang government — raising broader questions about the Vatican's influence and the selective nature of international human rights pressure.