Pope Leo has urged authorities in Equatorial Guinea not to use the justice system just to punish, but also to protect society, after criticising how prisoners are treated.

At a visit to a jail known for its dire conditions, he said true justice "seeks not so much to punish as to help rebuild the lives of victims, offenders and communities".

"To be effective, however, it must always promote the dignity of every person," the pontiff told hundreds of inmates gathered in the prison courtyard, encouraging them not to despair.

Rights groups say the prison in Bata is used to deny opponents their freedom, with Amnesty International saying inmates are "reportedly routinely beaten as punishment".

Numerous prisoners "have neither been seen nor heard from, and their relatives do not know whether they are alive or dead," the human rights organisation added.

Equatorial Guinea's Justice Minister Reginaldo Biyogo Ndong said detainees were treated fairly, and that the government was committed to protecting human rights.

The oil-rich country, often criticised for its human rights record and wealth inequality, is the Pope's final stop on a four-nation tour of Africa.

"You are not alone," the pontiff told the prisoners on Wednesday.

"Your families love you and are waiting for you. Many people outside these walls are praying for you," he added.

When he left, the prisoners who had been drenched in the rain shouted "freedom".

After meeting the inmates, the Pope visited a memorial for victims of an explosion at a military base in 2021, which killed over 100 people and injured 600 others.

He then went on to address locals at the Bata stadium, where he spoke about "respect for the rights of every citizen, every family, every social group".

He earlier addressed the Central African nation at a Mass that drew some 100,000 people, including Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the country's leader and the world's long-serving president.

Pope Leo said: "My thoughts go to the poorest, to families experiencing difficulty and to prisoners who are often forced to live in troubling hygienic and sanitary conditions."

On Thursday, he celebrated the final mass on his Africa tour at a stadium in the capital Malabo in front of thousands of people, including the president once more.

During Wednesday's Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in the town of Mongomo, Pope Leo urged Equatoguineans "to serve the common good rather than private interests, bridging the gap between the privileged and the disadvantaged".

He also called for the country's resources to be used to improve the lives of the wider population and not just a privileged few.

"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, warning that the future of the country depended on the people's choices.

Obiang's government has also been accused of corruption and diverting the country's oil revenues for the benefit of the elite, which it denies.

The president's son, who serves as the vice-president, was fined in a French court in 2020 for using public money to fund a luxurious lifestyle in the European nation. His French assets have since been seized.

Watchdog Transparency International has listed Equatorial Guinea as one of the world's most corrupt states, while the World Bank reports that more than half of Equatoguineans live in poverty.

Political opposition in Equatorial Guinea is barely tolerated and is severely hampered by the lack of a free press, as all broadcast media is either owned outright by the government or controlled by its allies.

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

President Obiang, who is 83 years old and seized power in 1979, held a private meeting with the Pope on Tuesday.

During his tour of Africa - in which he visited Algeria, Cameroon and Angola - Leo has spoken frankly and emphatically, blasting "tyrants" for spending billions on wars and condemning the "colonisation" of Africa's mineral resources.

Shortly before embarking on the trip, the Pope criticised Donald Trump for threatening Iran. In response, the US president criticised the pontiff as being "bad for foreign policy".

Reuters Dozens of prisoners in orange uniforms line up in front of the Pope, who can be seen in the distance under a shelter

The inmates were gathered together to hear the Pope's message... (BBC)

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