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Pope Leo has urged authorities in Equatorial Guinea not to use the justice system only to punish, but also to protect society, after criticizing the way prisoners are treated.
During a visit to a prison notorious for its dire conditions, he said true justice “seeks not so much to punish as to help rebuild the lives of victims, offenders and communities.”
“But to be effective, it must always promote the dignity of each person,” the pontiff declared in front of hundreds of inmates gathered in the prison courtyard, encouraging them not to despair.
Rights groups say Bata prison is being used to deprive opponents of their freedom, with Amnesty International saying detainees are said to be “systematically beaten as punishment”.
Many prisoners “have neither been seen nor heard, and their relatives do not know whether they are alive or dead”, added the human rights organization.
Equatorial Guinea’s Justice Minister Reginaldo Biyogo Ndong said detainees were treated fairly and the government was committed to protecting human rights.
The oil-rich country, often criticized for its human rights record and wealth inequality, is the pope’s final stop on his four-country tour of Africa.
“You are not alone,” the pontiff told the prisoners on Wednesday.
“Your families love you and wait for you. Many people outside these walls are praying for you,” he added.
When he came out, the rain-soaked prisoners shouted “freedom”.
After meeting with the detainees, the Pope visited a memorial for the victims of the 2021 military base explosion that killed more than 100 people and injured 600 others.
He then addressed the residents of the Bata stadium, where he spoke of “respect for the rights of each citizen, of each family, of each social group”.
He previously addressed the Central African nation at a mass that attracted some 100,000 people, including Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the country’s leader and longtime world president.
Pope Leo said: “My thoughts are with the poorest, with families in difficulty and with prisoners who are often forced to live in worrying conditions of hygiene and sanitation. »
The pope is due to celebrate a mass on Thursday morning in a stadium in the capital Malabo to mark the end of his tour.
During Wednesday’s mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in the town of Mongomo, Pope Leo urged Equatoguineans “to serve the common good rather than private interests, bridging the gap between the privileged and the disadvantaged.”
He also called for the country’s resources to be used to improve the lives of the entire population and not just a privileged few.
“The Creator has blessed you with great natural wealth. I urge you to work together to make this a blessing for all,” he said, warning that the country’s future depended on the choices of the people.
Obiang’s government has also been accused of corruption and misappropriation of the country’s oil revenues to benefit the elite, which he denies.
The watchdog Transparency International has ranked Equatorial Guinea among the most corrupt states in the world, while the World Bank reports that more than half of Equatorial Guineans live in poverty.
Political opposition in Equatorial Guinea is barely tolerated and is severely hampered by the absence of a free press, as all broadcast media are either exclusively owned by the government or controlled by its allies.
“May there be more room for freedom and may the dignity of the human person always be safeguarded,” the Pope declared insistently.
President Obiang, 83, who took power in 1979, held a private meeting with the pope on Tuesday.
During his tour of Africa – during which he visited Algeria, Cameroon and Angola – Leo spoke out bluntly and emphatically, castigating “tyrants” who spend billions on wars and condemning the “colonization” of Africa’s mineral resources.
Reuters
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AFP via Getty Images
Learn more about the Pope’s Africa tour
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