Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass in the second-largest Catholic Church in Africa April 22, telling Catholics in the oil-rich nation that "the future of Equatorial Guinea depends upon your choices."

The pope offered Mass in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in the eastern city of Mongomo, near Equatorial Guinea's border with Gabon. The basilica is currently the largest church in Central Africa and the second largest Catholic church throughout Africa, after the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in the Ivory Coast.

In his homily, delivered in Spanish, Pope Leo called on the country's leaders and citizens to prioritize the common good.

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"The Creator has endowed you with great natural wealth: I urge you to work together so that it may be a blessing for all," he said.

"May the Lord help you to become a society in which everyone, each according to their respective responsibilities, works ever more fully to serve the common good rather than private interests, bridging the gap between the privileged and the disadvantaged," he said.

"May there be greater room for freedom, and may the dignity of the human person always be safeguarded."

Thousands attended the Mass, many gathered outside in the square surrounded by the basilica's colonnade. Before the liturgy, the pope greeted crowds from the popemobile as colorful fireworks went off and a giant rosary made of balloons was released into the air.

Mongomo is the hometown of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has ruled the country since 1979 and who attended the Mass with his wife.

The basilica, inspired by St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, was begun in 2006 and funded by the state. It was consecrated on Dec. 7, 2011, by Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI.

"We are gathered in this magnificent Cathedral Basilica, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, Mother of the Incarnate Word and Patroness of Equatorial Guinea, to listen to the Lord's word and to celebrate the memorial that he has left us as the source and summit of the Church's life and mission," Pope Leo said.

"The Eucharist truly contains every spiritual good of the Church: It is Christ, our Passover, who gives himself to us, he is the living Bread that nourishes us," he continued. "His presence in the Eucharist reveals God's infinite love for the entire human family and the way he encounters every woman and every man even today."

The pope expressed gratitude for missionaries, priests and laypeople who helped spread the faith in the country, noting the 170th anniversary of its evangelization. He also cited St. Paul VI, quoting his 1969 visit to Africa: "Africans, from now on, you are missionaries to yourselves. The Church of Christ is well and truly planted in this blessed soil."

Sister Kebam Fien Blenderline, a missionary from Cameroon with the Daughters of the Divine Shepherd, has been serving in Equatorial Guinea for nearly two years. She told OSV News that her mission is focused on evangelization, education and promoting the dignity of women.

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"For the years I have been here working with the youth, I think what they need to know is that it is a good thing to serve the Lord. It is a good thing to know the Lord, and it is a good thing to practice the Christian values and to love God," she said.

"This basilica reminds us of the Vatican," she added. "It is an opportunity for the people of Guinea to really value the presence of God in their lives through this basilica, through the images. There is the Blessed Sacrament in the basilica and it is a place where we recollect. We come together to be at peace with ourselves and to pray for our brothers and sisters."

During the Mass, musicians played the marimba and a swaying choir sang hymns specifically written for the pope's visit. Prayers during the liturgy were offered in Spanish and other local languages including Fang, Bisio and Kombe.

"Brothers and sisters, even when faced with personal, family and social situations that are not always favorable, we can trust that the Lord is at work, making the good seed of his kingdom grow in ways unknown to us, including when everything around us seems barren, and even in moments of darkness," the pope said.

"With such confidence, rooted in the power of his love rather than in our own merits, we are called to remain faithful to the Gospel, to proclaim it, to live it fully and to bear witness to it with joy," he said.

While at the basilica, the pope also blessed the foundation stone for a new cathedral in Ciudad de la Paz, the new capital for Equatorial Guinea, where roughly 75% of the 1.67 million population is Catholic.

"What is the hunger we feel? And what does this nation hunger for today? The motto chosen for my visit is 'Christ, Light of Equatorial Guinea, Towards a Future of Hope.' Perhaps this is precisely the greatest hunger today," Pope Leo said.

"There is hunger for a future imbued with hope that is capable of engendering a new sense of justice and producing fruits of peace and fraternity. This is not an unknown future that we must passively await, but rather one that we ourselves are called to build with God's grace. The future of Equatorial Guinea depends upon your choices; it is entrusted to your sense of responsibility and to your shared commitment to safeguarding the life and dignity of every person."

The Mass marked the first event of the 10th day of the pope's apostolic journey and the final full day of public engagements before his return to Rome April 23.

Following the Mass, the pope visited a technology school named for Pope Francis before traveling to Bata, the country's largest coastal city. He stopped at the cathedral, met prisoners and staff at a local jail, and prayed at a memorial honoring victims of a 2021 explosion that killed more than 100 people.

Pope Leo then met with young people and families at a stadium before returning to the island city of Malabo ahead of his departure for Rome on April 23.

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"Brothers and sisters, there is a need for Christians to take the destiny of Equatorial Guinea into their own hands," Pope Leo said in his morning homily. "For this reason, I would like to encourage you: do not be afraid to proclaim the Gospel and bear witness to it with your lives."

(Courtney Mares is Vatican Editor for OSV News.)