MALABO, Equatorial Guinea – Visiting a psychiatric hospital on Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV said that a truly humane society is not measured by how it hides its weakness, but by how it surrounds the vulnerable with love and stressed that God loves each person “exactly as we are” while desiring their healing and restoration.
“Whenever I visit a hospital, I have mixed emotions: on the one hand, I feel sad for the patients and their families. On the other hand, I admire and am consoled by what is done every day in the service of human life,” the Pope said in his address, delivered in Spanish. “I feel the same here, but today, I feel – and I hope the same is true for you – that joy endures. It is the joy of meeting and caring for people in weak health in the name of the Lord.”
The late afternoon program included songs, dancing, and praise from both the hospital director and a patient, Pedro Celestino Nézerem Cus. A touching poem by a former patient was also recited.
The Jean-Pierre Olly Psychiatric Hospital, with its six pavilions, represents a major development in the treatment of mental illness in Equatorial Guinea, where psychological disorders were historically neglected. Established in 2014, it is the first modern center of its kind in the country and has become a symbol of the national commitment to integrate patients into society with large green spaces and rehabilitation areas built into the campus.
In late 2025, the hospital formalized a collaboration agreement with the Sainte-Anne Hospital in Paris. In December of the same year, the complex inaugurated a new pavilion and was later named posthumously after the renowned French psychiatrist Jean-Pierre Olly, who died in 2023 and whose contribution was crucial to the development of the project.
The Pope was welcomed by the hospital’s director, Bechir Ben Haj Ali, and the facility’s deputy director, who presented him with a bouquet of flowers. They walked together toward the main courtyard, where patients and staff were gathered.
“Our mission is clear: to provide care based on science, based on ethics and guided by profound respect for the human person. We work to fight stigma, strengthen professional training, support families and integrate mental health into the public policies of our country,” the director said in the presence of the Pope.
In his remarks, patient Pedro Celestino also expressed gratitude, saying: “We especially thank the First Lady of the country, Mrs. Constancia Mangu Nsu Ocomo, the patron of our hospital and the most vulnerable people of the country.”
Leo then quoted the director’s earlier words.
“The director said: ‘A truly great society is not one that hides its weaknesses, but one that surrounds them with love.’ Yes, it is true,” said the Pope. “It is a principle of civilization with Christian roots, because throughout human history Jesus Christ came to liberate those who suffer from the stigma of disability and restore their full dignity.”
“However, the Savior does not want to save us, nor can He save us, without our cooperation on a personal and social level. Therefore, He calls us to love our brothers and sisters not only in words but also in deeds. Such a facility, with God’s help and the commitment of all, can become a sign of the civilization of love,” he said.
Referring to the testimony of Pedro Celestino, Leo highlighted the patient’s last words: “Thank you for loving us just as we are.”
“Thank you for your testimony!” The Pope replied. “Yes, God loves us just as we are. In fact, only God truly loves us as we are, but He does not intend for us to remain that way! No, God does not want us to be sick forever; He wants to heal us!”
“This is seen again and again in the gospel. Jesus came to love us just as we are, yet He does not want us to remain just that, but to take care of us!” He continued. “A hospital, especially a Christian mission hospital, is a place where a person is welcomed as they are and their weaknesses are respected, so that they can be helped to get better according to a holistic approach.”
Leo said the spiritual dimension of care is essential and he was glad the director emphasized that point.
He also thanked former patient Tarcisio for his poetry and said that in a place like a hospital, many hidden “poems” are written every day “not with words, but with small gestures, with thoughtfulness and kindness in your relationships with each other.”
He said, “It is a poem that only God can read in its entirety and which consoles the merciful heart of Jesus Christ.”
The Pope asked those present to express their closeness to all the sick in the hospital, “especially those who are most seriously ill and most alone,” and entrusted the protection of patients, health care workers and staff to Mary, Health of the Sick.
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian language partner service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
