Overview
- Pope Leo XIV, who visited the Jean-Pierre Olie Psychiatric Hospital in Malabo on Tuesday, called for love, inclusion and an end to stigma toward people with mental illness.
- Patients and staff shared testimony during the visit, including a current patient who called the moment “a ray of light” and a former patient who read a poem of thanks.
- Hospital leaders said the stop signals that mental health is part of human dignity and asked society to fight discrimination and support families.
- The hospital is the country’s only psychiatric center, operating 146 beds across six wards and caring for about 125 people.
- Staff described a model that pairs clinical care with outreach and faith, with weekday outpatient visits, a mobile team, and a new child psychiatry unit.