A wave of emotion swept through the final Eucharist presided over by Pope Leo XIV at the stadium in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. At the end of the mass, Pope Leo sang the Marian antiphon “Regina Coeli” in thanksgiving before an image of Our Lady of Bisila, depicted carrying the Child Jesus on her back.
The story of this African Virgin is remarkable. Before becoming a Christian figure, Bisila was a goddess worshipped by the Bubi people, associated with life, fertility, and community protection. With the arrival of Christianity, this figure evolved—taking on a new identity of a familiar Virgin with its own distinctive features, unlike any other.
The Virgin of Bisila lives on in celebrations filled with music, dance, and faith—as seen in Pope Leo XIV's final Mass in Malabo, which marked the last stop of his first African tour and third apostolic journey.
