During a visit to Equatorial Guinea, the last leg of his apostolic journey to Africa, Pope Leo XIV urged national leaders to commit to justice, peace, and responsible leadership. Reflecting on themes drawn from St Augustine, he contrasted the pursuit of power with the call to serve the common good. The Pope warned that conflict, inequality, and the misuse of resources risk harming humanity, particularly when wealth does not benefit the wider population – remarks heavy with irony as he stood next to Equatoguinean president Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has been in power since 1979.  He encouraged authorities to remove barriers to human development, uphold dignity, and protect communities. His visit also saw the publication of a letter from an exiled opposition group, the ANDR, which pointed out that the country is ‘under the control of the presidential family’. The death penalty has been in place since 2012. There are ‘many more police officers than teachers, doctors, and nurses’, and more prisons than schools. Brutal repression is meted out to political opponents, who are frequently ‘tortured and murdered’.