Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday took a swipe at what he called the “handful of tyrants” who are ravaging Earth with war and exploitation as he preached a message of peace Thursday in Bamenda, Cameroon, the epicentre of a separatist conflict in the Central African country considered one of the world’s most neglected crises.
In his speech at the St. Joseph Cathedral in Bamenda, Leo praised the peace movement and warned against allowing religion to enter conflicts, a theme he has been echoing amid the US-Israeli war in Iran and the religious justifications for it by the Trump administration.
“Blessed are the peacemakers!” he said. “But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.”
Pope's comments come days after Trump spat
The pope then called for a “decisive change of course” that leads away from conflict and the exploitation of the land for military or economic gain.
“The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters!” he said.
His remarks come only days after a high-profile altercation with US President Donald Trump in which the Pope, a strong opponent of the US-Israeli military operation in Iran, became the latest figure to get the ire of Trump in a lengthy online attack.
Before travelling to Cameroon, Pope Leo told reporters he was not afraid of the Trump administration and was not interested in debating with it either.
On Thursday morning, Leo was welcomed by jubilant crowds in Bamenda, western part of Cameroon, who clogged the roads, blowing horns and dancing, overjoyed that a pope had come so far to see them and put a global spotlight on the violence that has traumatised this region for nearly a decade.
Hard-hitting speech to Cameroonian leaders
The crisis began in 2017, when paramilitary independence groups announced the birth of the 'Federal State of Ambazonia' in the Anglophone-speaking region, sparking a civil conflict that has seen the region descend into chaos, with thousands of deaths, displaced people and kidnappings.
The violence has also not spared the Catholic community, with several priests kidnapped by the Amba Boys, while the Vatican has tried to promote dialogue, but with little result.
On Thursday, Leo presided over a peace meeting involving a Mankon traditional chief, a Presbyterian moderator, an imam and a Catholic nun. The aim was to highlight the interfaith movement that has been seeking to end the conflict and care for its many victims.
The Bamenda visit followed his arrival in Yaoundé, the Cameroonian capital on Wednesday, where he was welcomed by President Paul Biya and senior government officials.
Leo then gave a forthright address where he urged the Paul Biya government to root out corruption.
President Biya, who at 93 is the world’s oldest leader, sat passively as Leo read his speech in French at the presidential palace in Yaounde.
"Indeed, in order for peace and justice to prevail, the chains of corruption — which disfigure authority and strip it of its credibility — must be broken. Hearts must be set free from an idolatrous thirst for profit: true profit comes from integral human development, that is, the balanced growth of all the aspects that make life on this Earth a blessing."
The Pope's Cameroon visit comes after his trip to Algeria, the first stop on the Pope's ten-day tour of Africa, which will also take him to Angola and Equatorial Guinea until 23 April.
But before then, Leo is scheduled to celebrate mass at the Japoma Stadium in Douala, the country's economic capital, in front of 50,000 people.
Africa is home to 288 million Catholics
The Catholic Church is a demographic powerhouse in Africa. The continent is home to one fifth of the world's Catholic population, some 288 million people.
In 2013, there were 185 million. The figure is growing, not only because of the demographic boom in the area, but also because of the humanitarian and mediation activities promoted by the Vatican.
It is no coincidence that the Pontiff has given high priority to the region, visiting it even before South America, where he spent 20 years.
With stops in eleven cities, four countries and 18,000 kilometres, analysts and observers believe Pope Leo is invested in one of the most strategic theatres for Catholicism in the world.
