The final moments of Pope Leo XIV's 11-day apostolic journey to Africa were more than the Eucharistic celebration at Equatorial Guinea's Malabo Stadium; they were a convergence of lived testimonies captured in one phrase: "a profound experience of faith."
At the packed event at the stadium on April 23, the Holy Father formally concluded his visit with Mass, closing a four-nation pastoral visit that took him to 11 cities in northern, central, and southern Africa.
"The time has come for me to say farewell to Equatorial Guinea and also to Africa," Pope Leo XIV said at the end of the Mass, situating his departure within what he termed a grace-filled journey "that God has allowed me to make."
He reflected on the significance of his April 13–23 encounters in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, stating: "I carry from Africa an invaluable treasure of faith, hope, and charity."
Those who spoke to ACI Africa at the concluding Mass expressed a comparable assessment, also characterizing Pope Leo XIV's presence on the continent as a treasure.
'A profound experience of faith'
For Father Jose Fernando Liso, 44, the defining takeaway lay less in the logistical success than in its spiritual benefits.
"I believe it has been a profound experience of faith," he told ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa.
Situating the events of the papal visit within the collective effort of the clergy, women and men religious, and the lay faithful, the parish priest of St. Anthony Abad Parish of the Archdiocese of Malabo said the experience "has involved fatigue, hard work, ups and downs."
Yet for Liso its real significance will be measured in its aftermath, he said, emphasizing the virtue of responsibility.
"The responsibility, the growth of our nation as a Church and of our nation as a whole, depends on the responsible decisions that each of us … make," he said, referencing a key theme he attributed to the Holy Father's broader reflections during his maiden trip to Africa as pope.
Also at Malabo Stadium for the closing Mass was Maria Lourdes Ndong Esono, 57, who framed her experience through a recollection that links two papacies across decades.
"We were thrilled with the pope's visit; it couldn't have come at a better time," she said.
Esono recalled "walking from Malabo to the airport to see Pope John Paul II" alongside her pregnant mother in February 1982 and expressing gratitude, adding: "Today I got to see Leo XIV."
Encouragement amid loss and uncertainty
For Sister Gertrude Ehizokhale of the Sisters of Jesus and Mary, Pope Leo XIV's impact was both affective and pastoral.
Having served in Equatorial Guinea for nearly two years, the native of Nigeria interpreted the papal visit through the lens of missionary presence and local context.
"I'm so happy because the pope came all the way from Rome to visit us," she said.
Her reaction to the Holy Father's homily focused on its motivational dimension: "His words … really gave me that more encouragement."
More specifically, she pointed to the pope's reference to the death, in controversial circumstances, of Father Fortunato Nsue Esono, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Malabo, just days before the arrival of the Holy Father in Equatorial Guinea.
For Ehizokhale, the pope's words of consolation and call for truth and justice at the beginning of his homily functioned as a stabilizing intervention. "That encouraged us … [who] were a bit discouraged," she said.
From the papal homily, she highlighted a call to generosity, "not to be attached to only to ourselves but to others also, learn to give" as well as a preferential concern for the poor, which she interpreted as a source of consolation and the assurance "that we have God on our side."
Peace, joy, and national framing
Narciso Pedro Nsue, the president of Radio Maria Equatorial Guinea, situated the papal visit within a broader communicative and national context.
"The pope brings peace, joy, and hope to the entire country," Narciso told ACI Africa.
He emphasized that Equatorial Guinea as "the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa," suggesting that the presence of Pope Leo XIV in his native country carries representational significance beyond strictly ecclesial boundaries.
For 19-year-old Ricardo Bibang Bonsundi, a representative of the Bixió tribe who was at the stadium adorned in traditional attire, he attended "to extend greetings and welcome to the people and to Pope Leo XIV."
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
