Pope Leo XIV on Thursday held an open-air mass in Equatorial Guinea in front of tens of thousands of followers, wrapping up his first major international tour that began with harsh criticism of his stance on Iran from US President Donald Trump.
The leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics has been in the closed-off central African nation since Tuesday, where he took aim at the suppression of civic freedoms and called for prisoners to be better treated in a country infamous for its brutal jails.
kAm~? 9:D 7:?2= 52J :? E96 @:=\C:49 7@C>6C $A2?:D9 4@=@?J @7 EH@ >:==:@? A6@A=6[ H96C6 >@DE @7 E96 A@AF=2E:@? =:G6D :? A@G6CEJ[ 96 @77:4:2E65 2E 2 >2DD 367@C6 b_[___ A6@A=6 2E 2 DE25:F> :? |2=23@[ E96 7@C>6C 42A:E2=]k^Am
kAmw6 H2D 5F6 E@ 2CC:G6 324< :? #@>6 2E 23@FE gi__ A> W`g__ v|%X] ~? E96 H2J[ 96 H:== DA62< E@ C6A@CE6CD EC2G6==:?8 H:E9 9:>[ H:E9 9:D C6>2C<D 6286C=J 2H2:E65 27E6C %CF>AVD 2EE24<D]k^Am
kAm%CF>A 42==65 E96 &$\3@C? A@?E:77 QG6CJ H62< @? 4C:>6 2?5 @E96C E9:?8DQ 2?5 D2:5 96 H2D QHC@?8Q E@ 42== 7@C 2? 6?5 E@ G:@=6?46 :? E96 xC2? H2C[ :? 4@>>6?ED E92E 42DE 2 A2== @G6C E96 62C=J DE286D @7 9:D 7@FC\4@F?ECJ[ ``\52J p7C:42 E@FC]k^Am
kAm%96 A@A6 =2E6C 6IAC6DD65 C68C6E E92E 9:D DA66496D H6C6 36:?8 :?E6CAC6E65 2D 2 C6DA@?D6 E@ E96 &$ =6256CVD 4C:E:4:D> 2?5 >2:?E2:?65 96 925 ?@ :?E6C6DE :? 5632E:?8 H:E9 9:>]k^Am
k9am\ V%JC2?EDV \k^9am
kAm*6E E9C@F89@FE E96 EC:A[ 7C@> p=86C:2 E@ r2>6C@@?[ E96? @? E@ p?8@=2 2?5 tBF2E@C:2= vF:?62[ 96 A:=65 9:89 9:D 42==D 7@C D@4:2= ;FDE:46[ A6246 2?5 C6DA64E 7@C 9F>2? 5:8?:EJ[ H9:=6 56?@F?4:?8 :?6BF2=:EJ[ 4@CCFAE:@? 2?5 E96 F?72:C 6IA=@:E2E:@? @7 ?2EFC2= C6D@FC46D 3J QEJC2?EDQ]k^Am
kAmw:D ?6H=J 7@C467F= DEJ=6[ 3=2DE:?8 E9@D6 H9@ Q:? E96 ?2>6 @7 AC@7:E[ 4@?E:?F6 E@ =2J E96:C 92?5D @? E96 p7C:42? 4@?E:?6?E E@ 6IA=@:E 2?5 A=F?56C :EQ[ H2D 2 >2C<65 56A2CEFC6 7C@> E96 C6DEC2:?E 96 92D D9@H? D:?46 96 H2D 6=64E65 :? |2J =2DE J62C]k^Am
kAm{6256CD @7 E96 7@FC 4@F?EC:6D 96 G:D:E65 92G6 2== 366? 4C:E:4:D65 \\ :? G2CJ:?8 568C66D \\ 7@C 2FE9@C:E2C:2? E6?56?4:6D]k^Am
kAmtBF2E@C:2= vF:?62[ CF=65 H:E9 2? :C@? 7:DE 3J !C6D:56?E %6@5@C@ ~3:2?8 }8F6>2 D:?46 `hfh[ 92D =@?8 72465 4=2:>D @7 9F>2? C:89ED 23FD6D 2D H6== 2D E96 EC2>A=:?8 @7 4:G:= 7C665@>D]k^Am
kAmqFE 96 FC865 E96 4@F?ECJ E@ A=246 :ED6=7 Q:? E96 D6CG:46 @7 =2H 2?5 ;FDE:46Q 2?5 4@?56>?65 QEC@F3=:?8 9J8:6?:4 2?5 D2?:E2CJ 4@?5:E:@?DQ 7@C AC:D@?6CD]k^Am
kAm~? (65?6D52J[ E96 A@A6 H6?E E@ tBF2E@C:2= vF:?62VD ?@E@C:@FD q2E2 AC:D@?[ H96C6 96 H2D 8C66E65 3J 9F?5C65D @7 D92G6?\962565 :?>2E6D :? E96 5C:G:?8 C2:?]k^Am
kAm!@A6 {6@ \\ 3@C? #@36CE uC2?4:D !C6G@DE \\ :D 2E f_ C6=2E:G6=J J@F?8 7@C 2 A@A6 2?5 92D D9@H? 6?6C8J E92E 4@?EC2DED D92CA=J H:E9 E96 564=:?:?8 962=E9 @7 9:D pC86?E:?:2? AC65646DD@C[ uC2?4:D[ H9@ 5:65 2 J62C 28@ 2E gg]Â k^Am
kAmw:D ?6IE EC:A 23C@25 H:== 36 E@ $A2:? 7C@> yF?6 e E@ `a]k^Am
kAm4><\886^A9K^D3<k^Am


