Pope defends meeting 'authoritarian' leaders after Africa trip

Pope Leo XIV leads a Holy Mass at the Malabo Stadium in Malabo on the last day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa, on April 23, 2026. [AFP]

Pope Leo XIV defended meeting "authoritarian" leaders as he returned Thursday from a trip to Africa, arguing that maintaining diplomatic relations allowed the Vatican to work behind the scenes.

"Sometimes we have diplomatic relationships with countries that have authoritarian leaders. We have the opportunity to speak with them on a diplomatic level, on a formal level," Leo told journalists on the papal plane.

"We don't always make great proclamations, criticising, judging or condemning, but there's an awful lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to promote justice, to promote humanitarian causes," the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics said.

The Holy See has diplomatic relations with 184 states.

By remaining neutral and attempting to foster positive diplomatic relationships, "with at times great sacrifice", the Vatican could try to change "situations so that the lives of people can be improved", Leo said, giving the freeing of political prisoners as an example.

The US-born pope's comments came as he wrapped up an 11-day trip which took him from Algeria to Cameroon, then on to Angola and Equatorial Guinea.

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the world's longest-serving non-royal head of state, has held onto power in Equatorial Guinea for more than four decades.

On his watch, the small, Spanish-speaking central African country has become one of the most closed-off and authoritarian in the world, with rights groups frequently denouncing human rights abuses.

Cameroon's President Paul Biya, who has been in power for nearly 43 years, has repressed most political opposition. Already the world's oldest head of state at 93 years of age, he was re-elected for an eighth term in October last year.

Throughout the trip, Leo called for social justice, peace and respect for human dignity, while denouncing inequality, corruption and the unfair exploitation of natural resources by "tyrants".