Equatorial Guinea: President invites Pope to visit country

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Equatorial Guinea: President invites Pope to visit country

6:36 CAT | 09 Apr 2021

File photo: Lusa

Pope Francis received on Friday in audience at the Vatican the vice president of Equatorial Guinea, who invited the leader of the Catholic Church to visit the country, according to information posted on social networks by Teodoro Obiang Ngema Mangue.

“The Equatorial Guinean government has invited Pope Francis to visit our country and I have the honour of carrying the message that the head of state sent to the supreme pontiff,” wrote the vice president of Equatorial Guinea and son of the president, Teodoro Obiang, on his social networks.

The revelation was accompanied by several photos and a video of the meeting with the leader of the Catholic Church.

“We are grateful for the reception we received from the authorities of the Vatican State,” he added.

‘Teodorin’ Obiang, 50, known for his reputation for extravagant spending, his collection of dozens of cars and luxurious travel, was appointed vice president in 2018 and is also responsible for security and armed forces.

Presented as his father’s successor, in recent years he has increasingly replaced the president and taken on a growing role in the management of state affairs.

He is facing a suspended sentence of three years in prison and a fine of 30 million euros for laundering an estimated 150 million euros between 1997 and 2011.

Pope Francis received Teodoro Obiang in October 2013, at a meeting where they discussed the situation in the African country and ratified an agreement to define the relationship between Church and State.

The country, which does not disclose data on poverty, is listed as one of the highest income countries in Africa and also among the most corrupt in the world, with NGOs pointing responsibility directly at the Obiang family and their clan.

Since its independence from Spain in 1968, Equatorial Guinea has been regarded by human rights groups as one of the most repressive countries in the world, with accusations of detentions and torture of dissidents and allegations of electoral fraud.

The latest report by Amnesty International points out that in 2020 Equatorial Guinea maintained “repression of human rights defenders”, violations of the right to a fair trial, the use of “excessive force” by police, as well as violations of the right to freedom of expression and access to information.

Obiang, 78, has ruled the country with an iron fist since 1979, when he overthrew his uncle Francisco Macias in a coup, and is the world’s longest serving president.

With less than a million inhabitants, Equatorial Guinea is Catholic in majority, with almost 90% of the population claiming to be Catholic.

Source: Lusa