Pope Leo prayed before this beautiful image of our Our Lady of Bisila, Mother and Patroness of Equatorial Guinea. Clothed in white and blue, carrying the Child Jesus on her back in the traditional African way, the Virgin of Bisila shows a Mother who walks with her people in every struggle and hope. According to local tradition, she appeared to a humble Bubi woman on Bioko Island in the early 20th century (exact year is not clearly attested), and devotion to her grew until she became the beloved