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Pope Leo XIV at Final Mass in Equatorial Guinea: Gospel Message Brings Freedom, Hope

By Currents News and Junno Arocho Esteves

(OSV News) – On his last day in Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo XIV reminded Catholics in the country to seek strength, justice and hope from the Gospel and the sacraments.

“If you are oppressed by injustice, he is justice; if you are in need of help, he is strength; if you fear death, he is life; if you desire Heaven, he is the way; if you are in darkness, he is light,” the pope said, quoting St. Ambrose April 23, at a Mass with an estimated 30,000 people at Malabo Stadium in Equatorial Guinea.

The Mass marked the final event of the pope’s 11-day visit to Africa. Arriving at the stadium in his popemobile, Pope Leo was greeted with cheers from the people attending the Mass, many of whom were dressed in the Vatican’s white and yellow colors.

Before beginning his homily, the pope expressed his condolences to the archdiocese, priests and family members for the death of Father Fortunato Nsue Esono, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Malabo.

According to a statement by the bishops’ conference of Equatorial Guinea, Father Esono died “unexpectedly” April 17 at his residence in Our Lady of Bisila Parish. No cause of death has been given.

The 39-year-old priest, who was named vicar general nine months ago, played a key role in preparations for the papal visit, the bishops’ conference said.

“I invite you to live this moment of pain with a spirit of faith, and I trust that, without being carried away by rumors or hasty conclusions, full clarity will be brought to the circumstances of his death,” Pope Leo said.

Speaking in Spanish, the pope reflected on the day’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, which recounted the deacon Philip’s encounter with an Ethiopian eunuch reading the Scriptures as he was traveling from Jerusalem to Africa.

RELATED: Pope Leo Arrives in Angola, Calls for Fostering ‘Just Model of Coexistence’

In the reading, Philip asks the eunuch if he understood what he was reading, to which the eunuch replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?”

The “humble wisdom” in the Ethiopian’s response, Pope Leo said, was “not only a search for truth, but also an expression of openness and desire.”

However, while the man is wealthy, intelligent and cultured, he is a slave and “not fully free.”

“This painful reality is marked even on his body: he is, in fact, a eunuch. He cannot bring forth life; all his vitality is placed at the service of a power that controls and rules over him,” the pope said.

Nevertheless, the “proclamation of the Gospel sets him free,” and through his encounter with Philip, the man is “transformed from a mere reader, a spectator, of Scripture into a protagonist in the very story that captivates him,” the pope said.

The word of God, the pope continued, “becomes a lived reality” and through the sacrament of baptism, “he is no longer a stranger, but becomes a child of God, our brother in faith.”

“Though a slave and childless, he is reborn into a new and free life in the name of the Lord Jesus. And we speak of his salvation to this day, precisely as we read these Scriptures,” he said.

Pope Leo said that, like the eunuch, through baptism, Christians have received “the same faith” and the same word. Reading and reflecting on Scripture “is always both a personal and an ecclesial act; it is never something done in isolation or in a merely mechanical way.”

“Together we read Scripture as the shared heritage of the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, who inspired its composition, and by Apostolic Tradition, which has preserved and transmitted it throughout the world,” the pope said. “Like the eunuch, we too can come to understand the Word of God with the help of a guide who accompanies us on our journey of faith.”

Turning his attention to the Gospel reading from St. John, in which Jesus says he “is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.”

Christ, the pope said, “is the Risen One” who “continues to give his life for all.”

“Do I trust that his love is stronger than my death? By deciding to believe in him, each of us chooses between inevitable despair and the hope that God offers. Our hunger for life and justice is then satisfied by Jesus’ words: ‘The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh,’” he said.

Encouraging the faithful to “joyfully proclaim” that “Christ is everything for us,” Pope Leo reminded Christians that in Jesus, “we find the fullness of life and meaning.”

“Our problems do not disappear in the Lord’s presence, but they are illuminated,” he said. “Just as every cross finds redemption in Jesus, so too the story of our lives finds its meaning in the Gospel.”

RELATED: Algeria Is a Living Witness to Charity That Binds Community, Makes Peace, Says Pope

“Through our witness,” he added, “the proclamation of salvation is made visible in action, service and forgiveness – in a word, it becomes the Church!”

Before the final blessing, Archbishop Juan Nsue Edjang Mayé of Malabo expressed his gratitude on behalf of the people of Equatorial Guinea for the pope’s visit.

“Indeed, in these days we have experienced the evangelical solidarity of the Church, which has rekindled our faith and our commitment to contribute to the creation of a new homeland in Christ,” Archbishop May said.

Calling Pope Leo’s visit “a powerful call to reconciliation and peace,” the archbishop expressed the local Church’s commitment to “continue working for justice, equality, fraternity, and reconciliation among all the sons and daughters of our country.”

“May this visit be for us a powerful encouragement of faith and conversion for a local Church affectionately united to the Chair of Peter, more evangelizing and more committed to development that includes the poor and the marginalized,” Archbishop Mayé said.

Archbishop Mayé then invited a procession of people dressed in traditional clothing and presenting gifts “that are fruits of our mother Earth and the work of human hands.”

Bidding farewell to the people of Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo said that he was leaving Africa “carrying with me an invaluable treasure of faith, hope, and charity.”

“It is a great treasure, made up of stories, faces, and joyful and suffering testimonies that greatly enrich my life and my ministry as the successor of Peter,” the pope said.

He also noted that just as in the early centuries of the Church, “today Africa is called to contribute significantly to the holiness and missionary character of the Christian people.”

“I entrust this intention to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, to whom I commend myself wholeheartedly, as well as your families, your communities, your nation, and all the peoples of Africa,” the pope said.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 4/22/26

New York City has launched an interactive online map that lets users explore the stories behind nearly 2,500 co-named streets, parks, and public spaces across the five boroughs. For Holy Trinity Church in Queens, the map is a chance to spread the word about a former beloved pastor.

Pope Leo XIV prays with the faithful of Equatorial Guinea, the fourth and final country of his 11-day apostolic journey in Africa.

Catholic Charities of New York has joined forces with immigration advocates to offer support and services to the city’s newly arrived.

NYC Map Upgrade Brings New Attention to Whitestone Street

By Katie Vasquez

The corner of 14th Avenue and 143rd Street overlooks Holy Trinity Church in Whitestone, a place long tied to the legacy of Rev. Marcello Latona.

Since 2009, the intersection has also been known as Reverend Marcello Latona Street, honoring the pastor who led the parish from 1990 to 2005 before his death in 2008. Community members said the designation reflects his lasting impact.

“As a man of the community, they decided that he earned it,” one resident said.

Barbara Eivers, who served as a parish secretary alongside Latona for 12 years, said he was deeply committed to his parishioners.

“He was just a man of the people. If a parishioner wanted to see him privately, he always had time for me,” Eivers said. “And if there was a problem in the town and they needed people, he was there.”

For former Holy Trinity pastor Father Joseph Gibino, Latona’s legacy set a high bar.

“Beloved does not do enough justice to what he was at Holy Trinity,” Gibino said. “He was a legend in the parish and still is.”

After Latona’s death, parishioner Joseph Governale helped make the street co-naming a reality.

“He was a great guy. He wasn’t self-centered,” Governale said. “He wanted what was good for this parish and for this community.”

Now, New York City has made it easier to explore the stories behind such honors. The Department of Records and Information Services has upgraded its interactive online map, allowing users to access biographical information for nearly 2,500 co-named streets, parks and public spaces across the five boroughs.

Latona’s legacy has remained strong in Whitestone, and parishioners say the new tool will help others learn about his contributions.

“Maybe more people will know where it is now,” Eivers said. “But it’s where it should be.”

Governale added that the recognition can strengthen ties within the community.

“It can help the people in the area get closer to the church,” he said.

Gibino said the expanded access to these stories reflects a broader opportunity for connection.

“All of these priests who have touched the minds and hearts of the faithful now are touching people anywhere in the world,” he said. “Isn’t it extraordinary how evangelization can take place in many different ways, including the memory of those who were such beloved evangelizers for the church?”

In Whitestone, the memory of Rev. Marcello Latona continues to endure — now with the potential to reach far beyond the neighborhood he served.

TONIGHT AT 7: NYC Unveils Map of Co-Named Streets Across Five Boroughs

By Katie Vasquez

New York City has launched an interactive online map that lets users explore the stories behind nearly 25,000 co-named streets, parks, and public spaces across the five boroughs. The new tool is giving communities a fresh way to connect with local history and the people honored on neighborhood signs.

The Little Apple: Diocese of Brooklyn’s Sacred Spaces Recreated in Nearly 1M Building Model City

By Jessica Easthope

In 2004, Joe Macken was settled near Albany, but he missed New York City, having grown up in Middle Village, Queens. 

To ease his homesickness, Macken decided to make tiny replicas of iconic buildings from the Big Apple’s skyline. It was fun, so the truck driver kept on going during whatever free time he had, aside from when he was at work or raising his three children.  

Now, 22 years later, his hobby has morphed into a labor of love titled “He Built This City: Joe Macken’s Model.” 

This model landscape, 50 by 27 feet, comprises 320 individual sections to account for all five boroughs. It is on display through Labor Day Weekend in the Dinan Miller Gallery of the Museum of the City of New York, 1220 5th Ave. 

“This is like a third of my life,” Macken said on March 9 during an interview at the museum. “It’s a passion that I started 22 years ago, and I just couldn’t stop.” 

Macken said he had grown up playing with Lincoln Logs and Legos, but it wasn’t until he was in his 40s, after relocating to Clifton Park north of Albany, that he considered dabbling in “miniatures.” 

“I kind of missed the city,” he recalled. “And I knew I wasn’t going to be seeing it much anymore. But I had all this balsa wood. So, I figured, ‘Let me go down to the basement and just build one building.’ And I did.” 

His first was the RCA building — the iconic 70-story Art Deco structure at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, now called the Comcast Building, and the headquarters of NBC since 1933. 

“A couple of days later, I built another one, and I just kept building,” Macken said. “Then I realized how big it was getting. And I was getting better at it, faster. 

“It was the consistency of it, and the love of doing it, that made me finish it.” 

Macken said the model was displayed for the first time at a fair in upstate New York last September. His eldest child, daughter Erika, 22, helped him publicize it on social media, and interview requests from news organizations ensued. 

The team at the Museum of the City of New York also noticed and invited Macken to display the model in the Dinan Miller Gallery. He happily accepted, and he assembled it there in February, a task that took 14 hours, he said. 

Nearly one million structures are represented, including the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the Freedom Tower at One World Trade Center, and major connectors such as the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Verrazzano bridges. 

Macken used history books, photos, and later satellite images to ensure accuracy.  

Observers can use binoculars tethered at the model’s edges to peer down on the Ferris wheel and boardwalk of Coney Island, Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, the jail complex at Rikers Island, the Hudson and East rivers, plus the New York Harbor. 

The only things out of place are the Twin Towers, lost in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Here, they retain their original spots, with the Freedom Tower alongside. Macken said it’s his way to honor their legacies and the lives lost in the attacks. 

Virtually every place of worship in Queens and Brooklyn, famously called the City of Churches, is also represented. 

Included is Macken’s home parish, St. Margaret Church, and its school, where he was educated in his old neighborhood, Middle Village. He graduated from Christ the King High School, also in Middle Village. 

“I remember actually building St. Margaret because there’s a parish center right next door to it that’s kind of new, and I wanted to make sure I got that in there,” Macken said. “I built my block, the park that’s across the street, and then the school five blocks away. 

“And I remember building my high school.” 

Macken has fond memories of his neighborhood, like his dad taking him to Mass every Sunday. He said his mother, who now lives on Long Island, regularly asks if he makes it to Mass, but he usually drives trucks on Sundays. 

He visited the old neighborhood on March 8, took photos of his old school, and entered the church where a 5 p.m. Mass was underway. 

“I sat in one of the pews,” he said. “And I was looking at my old church, and I was thinking, like, ‘wow.’ I grew up a Catholic, and I’m very happy and very proud of that.”  

Macken said he plans to build more model landscapes. Next stops: Westchester County and areas of Connecticut. 

WANT TO GO?
For more information about the exhibit, visit:
mcny.org/exhibition/he-built-city 

Queens Restaurateur’s Special Dish Is His Devotion to St. Padre Pio

By Jessica Easthope and Paula Katinas

Joe Oppedisano’s favorite item in his restaurant isn’t margherita pizza, penne vodka, or calamari Napolitano. In fact, it’s not even on the menu — it’s in the basement.

Underneath the dining room at Il Bacco Ristorante, Oppedisano’s popular dining spot on Northern Boulevard in Little Neck, is a life-sized, copper statue of St. Padre Pio.

The statue will soon have a new home, thanks to Oppedisano, 67, who is putting the finishing touches on a park he is having built on Little Neck Parkway, around the corner from the restaurant, where he plans to place the statue for all to see.

The restaurateur has a deep devotion to Padre Pio, whom he said has helped him through two major turning points in his life — including surviving a plane crash — and is eager to share it with others.

Construction is in the final stages for the park, which is located on a plot owned by Oppedisano. When it’s completed, the park will feature the statue of Padre Pio, statues of the Holy Family and other saints, and a seating area with benches.

Designed to be a quiet, peaceful oasis where people can pray, meditate, or just sit and contemplate life, the park will have its grand opening on April 26 and will be open to the public from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.

“It’s going to be open to everyone,” he said. “Whoever needs it.”

Oppedisano, who was born in Calabria in 1958, moved from southern Italy to the U.S. at the age of 13 and grew up to become a restaurateur, explained that he hasn’t always had a devotion to Padre Pio.

“I can’t wait to get him out of the basement and put him where he belongs — where people can see him,” says Joe Oppedisano, talking about the statue of Padre Pio he brought over from Italy. The statue is currently in the basement of his restaurant, Il Bacco Ristorante in Little Neck. (Photos: Paula Katinas)
“I heard of him, of course,” he said. “But to me, he was a saint like any other saint. No difference.”

Padre Pio (1887-1968) was an Italian friar of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin who bore the stigmata — the wounds of Jesus Christ on the cross, on his hands and feet — and was known as a mystic. He was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002.

Oppedisano, who has made numerous trips to Italy to visit Padre Pio’s tomb in San Giovanni Rotondo in southern Italy, said he saw the statue during one of his journeys and decided to buy it and have it shipped home. The statue depicts the saint with his arms raised, as if greeting a visitor, and features images of the stigmata on his hands.

The first time Oppedisano felt Padre Pio’s presence in his life was 15 years ago, in 2010, when he was about to open Il Bacco Ristorante at its current location. He had operated the restaurant for many years in another spot on the same Little Neck block, but needed a bigger place as his business grew.

Three days before opening, he was sitting at a back table talking to one of his servers about the mother of another worker who had given him a gift — a candle with Padre Pio’s image — which she said would ensure that the saint would bring him good luck. She explained that her grandfather was Padre Pio’s cousin.

While talking to the waiter, Oppedisano pointed to the candle. At that moment, he felt a sensation throughout his entire body “like someone was grabbing me,” he recalled, “and I started crying like a baby.”

He was convinced that it was Padre Pio.

“And I’ve been a firm believer ever since,” he added.

Joe Oppedisano had a grotto erected on the vacant lot he owns, in which statues of Padre Pio and the Holy Family will be placed before the grand opening on April 26. Oppedisano said he envisions the spot as a park where people can sit, pray, and enjoy quiet time to reflect.
The second time he felt Padre Pio’s intercession was on Oct. 4, 2020, when he survived a plane crash on the Long Island Sound near the Throggs Neck Bridge that killed one of his friends. Oppedisano, who has a pilot license, was operating a single-engine Cessna with two friends, Maggie O’Neil and Jose Urena, aboard and was getting set to land when a boat obscured his path.

“In just one second, everything changed,” he recalled.

In trying to avoid the boat, the plane crashed into a pier and was destroyed. O’Neil was killed. Oppedisano and Urena survived, but both sustained multiple injuries.

Oppedisano, who suffered a fractured spine, 16 broken ribs, and a pulverized ankle and heel, underwent 10 surgeries and was hospitalized for four weeks.

He asked for Padre Pio’s intercession every day during his recovery.

“I truly believe Padre Pio helped me. I’m alive, and I’m here today,” he said.

With his park dedicated to Padre Pio, Oppedisano said he hopes others will also ask for the saint’s intercession.

“Look at what he did for me,” he said. “He can help you, too.”

Walking Tour Helps Young Adults Get History Lesson on the Diocese of Brooklyn

By Alexandra Moyen

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — As Maria Monge guided 15 young adults from across the Diocese of Brooklyn through the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph on April 18, she made sure to highlight the many works of art that filled the ceiling. 

“Through art, you can find truth — and that truth is God,” said Monge, the coordinator of parish communications and outreach at the co-cathedral.  

Monge hosted the walking tour of the co-cathedral on behalf of the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Youth and Young Adult Ministry. The day’s journey, which began at the co-cathedral and ended with Mass at St. Francis of Assisi-St. Blaise Parish in Prospect Lefferts Gardens was intended to teach the young adults about the history of the parishes.   

RELATED: Social Media and Social Outings — Young Catholics Are Flocking to Mass

Abigail Castro, a parishioner at Ascension Parish in Elmhurst, said she has heard beautiful stories about the parishes in Brooklyn and participated in the walking tour to learn more.  

“It was very beautiful. When I walked in (to the co-cathedral), I felt a peace and something that was very welcoming, without being said,” Castro said. “Walking into the church and seeing the different images of Mother Mary from different countries — it was very beautiful.  

“I’ve never seen this in other churches.” 

Beginning outside the co-cathedral before making their way inside — where they took in the many colorful murals lining the cathedral’s ceiling as tourists snapped pictures — the young adults learned about the history of the cathedral, which was built in 1912 and can hold over 1,000 parishioners.  

They also found out about the symbolism behind the bronze statue of St. Joseph at the entrance (St. Joseph teaches Jesus how to hammer while holding the nail — representing his trust in God), the artwork throughout the co-cathedral (including 20 images of the Blessed Mother from around the world), the emblems of the bishops who have led the diocese, and the American saints depicted above the church entrance. 

After touring the co-cathedral, the group made its way to St. Francis of Assisi-St. Blaise — with rosaries in hand and praying the Sacred Mysteries along the way — where Father James Kuroly, the diocese’s director of youth and young adult ministry, celebrated Mass, which marked the ongoing Franciscan Jubilee. 

RELATED: Holy Girl Walk — Praying the Rosary Grows Faith, Forms Friendships in Central Park

“I think, especially for the young adults, they wonder, ‘Where am I in the church?’ They can feel alone,” Father Kuroly said. “But something like this, a simple gesture of walking, is symbolic to them, and shows they are not alone.” 

Luceros Manzanares, associate director for the diocese’s Youth and Young Adult Ministry, said this was the second walking tour they hosted, explaining they are meant to foster community while showcasing the beauty of parishes around the diocese.  

“It was beautiful,” Manzanares said. “We got to meet some new faces and for them to see each other, like, ‘Oh, there’s other young adults here, I don’t have to go somewhere else, I can foster a community here.’ ” 

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 4/21/26   

Catholics around the world are remembering the legacy of Pope Francis one year after his death.

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Equatorial Guinea and reflected on the legacy of Pope Francis during his trip through Africa.

Young adults from across the Diocese of Brooklyn went on a walking tour through Brooklyn, using art to dive deeper into parish history.

A Little Neck restaurant owner is opening a prayer space dedicated to Padre Pio after crediting the saint for blessings in his life.