'You are not alone': Pope Leo XIV delivers message hope to prisoners in Equatorial Guinea

Pope Leo XIV told inmates at one of Equatorial Guinea’s notorious prisons that they are not alone, as he drew attention Wednesday to prison conditions, human rights abuses and injustices that campaigners have denounced for years here.

Leo’s visit to the prison in the Central African port city of Bata followed in the tradition of Pope Francis, who frequently met with inmates on his foreign visits to give them a message of hope.

But Leo’s stop, at the end of his four-nation African tour, took on added significance after it emerged that Equatorial Guinea was one of several African nations that have been paid millions of dollars in controversial deals with the Trump administration to receive migrants deported from the US to countries other than their own.

While none of those migrants are being held at Bata, the visit put the spotlight on Equatorial Guinea’s overall human rights record and its judiciary, which rights campaigners have criticized for its lack of independence, arbitrary detentions and other abuses.

Leo said he had a simple message for the inmates: That they are loved by God and remain precious in his eyes, despite their mistakes, sufferings and errors.

“You are not alone. Your families love you and are waiting for you. Many people outside these walls are praying for you,” Leo told them in Spanish.

“If any of you fear being abandoned by everyone, know that God will never abandon you, and that the Church will stand by your side,” he said.

The inmates, all dressed in new neon orange and beige uniforms, had gathered in a central courtyard of the prison, which appeared to have been recently painted salmon pink.

As soon as Leo started to speak, the heavens opened and a rainstorm poured down, drenching them but providing some relief from the intense humidity and heat.

In his remarks, Leo also reminded authorities that justice is meant to protect society, but that incarceration is not meant to be punishment alone.