Pope Leo XIV has criticised foreigners who exploit the wealth of Africa for profit during his visit to a conflict-hit region of Cameroon.
It is one of several forthright remarks he has made over the last day, including blasting those who spend billions on wars and telling Cameroon’s government to root out corruption for peace to prevail.
He has spent the day in Bamenda, a city at the centre of Cameroon’s brutal and long-running separatist rebellion.
Internal problems were exacerbated by outsiders who “in the name of profit, continue to lay their hands on the African continent to exploit and plunder it”, he told an estimated 20,000 worshippers at a Mass at Bamenda Airport.
Earlier, joyful crowds sang, drummed and waved flags to welcome the leader of the Catholic Church, who arrived under military escort in a bullet-proof white vehicle.
Ahead of his visit, Anglophone separatists had announced a period of “safe travel passage”.
The Pope’s first stop was at a peace meeting in Bamenda held at Saint Joseph’s Cathedral about the nearly 10-year insurgency in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions that has left at least 6,000 people dead and many more forced from their homes.
“The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants,” he told the gathering – comments that follow US President Donald Trump’s recent criticism of the pontiff, who last year became the first US-born Pope.
“Those who rob your land of its resources generally invest much of the profit in weapons, thus perpetuating an endless cycle of destabilisation and death,” said the 70-year-old Pope.
Since 2017, those seeking to create a breakaway state in Cameroon’s Anglophone region have been fighting government forces.
They are angered by what they see as the marginalisation of Cameroon’s English-speaking minority by the Francophone-dominated government.
Religious leaders and victims of the Anglophone conflict took turns to share the impact of the fighting with the Pope.
A Muslim leader decried the killing of members of the Mbororo indigenous community, looting of cattle and other items.
A nun revealed details of her kidnap by separatist fighters, highlighting the severity of the conflict.
Another man shared how he was forced to flee his home.
The Pope commended their work and said it was a model for the whole world: “Let us thank God that this crisis has not degenerated into a religious war.”
Commentators say the Pope has been unusually blunt in his speeches in Cameroon.
On Wednesday at the presidential palace in the capital, Yaoundé, he gave pointed advice to the government during an address also attended by President Paul Biya.
“In order for peace and justice to prevail, the chains of corruption – which disfigure authority and strip it of its credibility – must be broken,” he said.
EPA/ShutterstockPaul Biya, the world’s oldest head of state, greeted Pope Leo in Yaoundé before the pontiff headed off to Bamenda
Cameroon’s 93-year-old president won an eighth term last year in a disputed poll and his administration faces criticism over allegations of corruption, bad governance and a failure to tackle security, which it denies.
“Hearts must be set free from an idolatrous thirst for profit,” the pontiff said as the world’s oldest head of state sat on impassively.
State television halted its live feed for parts of the Pope’s address, according to the Associated Press, which reported that it was unclear if technical issues were to blame.
During the same address, the Pope also described young people as the hope of Cameroon and the Church.
“Their energy and creativity are invaluable. Investing in their education, training, and entrepreneurship is essential for peace and for preventing the loss of talent and the spread of social ills,” he said.
“I wish to highlight especially the role of women, who, though often victims of injustice, are tireless builders of peace. Their voice must be fully recognised in decision-making processes.”
Biya had promised to prioritise women and young people after winning re-election in October. Expectations remain high amid a looming cabinet reshuffle.
The Archbishop of Bamenda, Andrew Nkea, has said the pontiff’s visit will bring hope to the people whose lives have been disrupted by the conflict in Cameroon’s North-West and South-West regions.
“I can confidently say now is the time for peace,” said Nkea.
These words were echoed by the Pope at the Mass held later at the airport, where his vehicle first looped around the airfield several times to greet the cheering crowds as choirs sang.
He said change was possible if people obeyed God, not human beings.
“The time has come, today and not tomorrow, now and not in the future, to restore the mosaic of unity by bringing together the diversity and riches of the country and the continent.
“We must obey God rather than any human authority.”
Peace is the main theme of the Pope’s 11-day tour of the continent, with Angola and Equatorial Guinea next on his agenda.
He started his trip in Algeria on Monday, marking the first visit by any pope to the predominantly Muslim country.
It is also the birthplace of St Augustine, who founded the order followed by Pope Leo – the first pontiff to do so.
During his two days in Algeria he went to the Great Mosque in Algiers.
“I think the visit to the mosque was significant and to say that although we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshiping, we have different ways of living, we can live together in peace,” he said afterwards.
