The dedication of a new Catholic cathedral in the city of Mongomo, Equatorial Guinea, on December 7, served as a symbol of the nation’s economic development and the vigorous religious life of a country where the church was once violently suppressed.

President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo dedicated the new Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Equatorial Guinea’s easternmost city.  In his remarks, he reminded his countrymen of his government’s efforts to restore religious freedom as one of its first acts upon assuming power.

The previous regime had forced the “closure of churches and persecution of Christians, many of whom were forced into exile,” President Obiang said. “With our arrival, we proceeded to reopen all the churches closed by the former regime. We proceeded to release [political] prisoners, and ecclesiastical activity regained its vigor and normality.”

The event was held on the eve of the feast of the Immaculate Conception in the capital of Wele Nsas province, President Obiang’s birthplace. More than 1,000 guests attended the religious ceremony, including President Francois Bozize of the Central African Republic, papal envoy Francis Cardinal Arinze, and Antoinette Nguesso, wife of the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The attractive new basilica, done in a variation of neoclassical style, is named for the Blessed Virgin Mary, the patron saint of Equatorial Guinea. It can hold up to 8,000 people and took nearly six years to construct. President Obiang presented the plan for the basilica to Pope Benedict XVI during a state visit to the Holy See in 2005 and laid the cornerstone on December 9, 2006.

President Obiang expressed the hope that Pope Benedict would visit the country and recalled the critical role Pope John Paul II played in promoting national healing and renewal during his eight-hour visit to Equatorial Guinea in 1982.

“The Pope arrived at the airport in Malabo, kissed the earth, and blessed our country with his hands raised,” President Obiang said. “The people turned out in such a way that he left with the idea that our country was where he was received with the greatest fervor.” The population of Equatorial Guinea is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic.

After the inaugural Mass, which was attended by five cardinals, 45 bishops, and some 300 priests from the central African sub-region, President Obiang and the Cardinal Arinze cut the ribbon, signifying the official opening of the basilica.

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In a speech at the Sullivan Honors Awards, President Obiang discussed the promotion of African integration by leading Equatorial Guinea toward a better future by facing its challenges and achieving the country’s desired self-improvement and progress. President Obiang has led the efforts of the African community while promoting the continent and carrying out the development of Equatorial Guinea.

“Equatorial Guinea, as a unified country, knows that in order to achieve self-improvement and progress, we have to face problems and challenges, with the support of friendly countries and the international community,” said President Obiang.

President Obiang received the Beacon for Africa award at the 2011 Sullivan Honors event on December 15, in recognition of his leadership of the African Union and his exemplary contributions to improving the lives of Africa’s most vulnerable citizens. The Sullivan Honors event is one of Washington’s greatest cultural highlights of the year.

Hope Masters, president of the Administrative Council of the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, praised President Obiang for his exemplary leadership and contributions to rebuilding Equatorial Guinea.

“This was a great opportunity to discuss continued development in the region and ways to collectively expand our role as part of  the international community,” said President Obiang. “I believe Africa has a positive future ahead of us as long as we continue to work together.”

President Obiang joined leaders from around the world to honor African individuals who are leading and serving the international community. The honorees have selflessly dedicated themselves to humanitarian efforts on the African continent. Together they showed their appreciation for the honorees at the Leon H. Sullivan Honors event at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.

“A commitment to ensuring that the dignity of the people they serve has been maintained is critical in determining who will be named a Sullivan Honoree. The ability to ignite that spark of hope, to provide to those less fortunate, while improving their quality of life, has been a common characteristic embodied by each of our honorees. I commend our past honorees and am confident that our new honorees will uphold their passion for championing Africans,” said Ambassador Andrew Young, former US Ambassador to the United Nations.

The Sullivan Honors has been conferred upon individuals who have demonstrated unique leadership in enhancing the lives of the underprivileged, the vulnerable, and the destitute in Africa. Previous Sullivan Honorees include former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, General Colin Powell, current President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, current President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, current President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, and current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. A full list of previous Sullivan Honorees can be found on the Sullivan Foundation’s website, www.thesullivanfoundation.org.

Equatorial Guinea’s government has adopted special programs for the promotion and protection of human rights with the help of the International Red Cross, which has verified the performance of state institutions by selecting and implementing programs that improve the level of social indicators.

“The positive effects of these programs have resulted in an increased school ratio, life expectancy, malaria reductions, as well as the progressive increase of technical and professional staff,” said President Obiang. “Our country recently went through a constitutional change that strengthened the powers of the state institutions, promoted the alteration in power and regulated the strict separation of powers, as well as transparency and equity in public affairs.”

This reform was approved and voted by the majority of the population.

In addition to President Obiang, numerous heads of state from Africa attended this year’s 2011 Sullivan Honors event, showing unity and cooperation among one another. They included President John A. Kufuor, former President of Ghana; President Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria; Prime Minister Guillaume Soro of Cote D’Ivoire; and President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/equatorial_guinea/

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