Pope Leo XIV to Cameroon Faithful: 'Reject Violence'

April 18, 2026 | 08:01 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Pope Leo XIV, preaching to a cheering crowd of more than 120,000 attendees at a Friday open-air mass in the Cameroon port city of Douala, continued his forceful message of peace on the second leg of his current 11-day Africa tour.

The U.S.-born pontiff urged those who traveled far and wide to hear him: "Do not give in to distrust and discouragement. Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives with easy gains but hardens the heart and makes it insensitive."

In his Friday homily, delivered in French, Leo urged Cameroonians to be "protagonists of the future."

Leo has been pushed into the headlines recently by attacks from U.S. President Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance — both of whom have publicly lashed out at the head of the Roman Catholic Church after Leo condemned the folly of war and those who seek to misuse god to justify violence.

On Friday, as congregants waved Vatican flags and "branches of peace," Leo spoke of conflict and greed in Africa, where he said people "hunger for peace, freedom and justice."

Leo was scheduled to visit a Catholic hospital in Douala Friday afternoon, before returning to the capital Yaounde to address university students and professors.

Pope Leo condemns the plunder of African resources and abuse of power

Cameroon, rich in mineral wealth, has long attracted foreign firms and regional elites. On Thursday, Leo criticized "those who, in the name of profit, continue to lay their hands on the African continent to exploit and plunder it."

He also urged Cameroon's leaders to root out corruption as well as abuses carried out in the name of maintaining civic order in remarks delivered on Wednesday.

Those words in particular were striking in that they were delivered in the presence of President Paul Biya — a 93-year-old politician who has ruled Cameroon with an iron fist since 1982.

"Security is a priority, but it must always be exercised with respect for human rights," the pope told government officials.

Biya's forces violently put down demonstrations against his reelection last October, killing dozens.

Pope Leo reaches out to young African Catholics

Africa continues to grow more important to the Roman Catholic Church, with an estimated 290 million Catholics on the continent now making up 20.3 percent of the Church's 1.4 billion membership.

In Cameroon, Leo's words of encouragement were directed at the nation's youth, who face mass unemployment as the country struggles with inner conflict and entrenched power.

Earlier this week, for instance, Leo led an interfaith peace conference in the city of Bamenda — the epicenter of a nearly decade-long separatist uprising that has killed thousands.

One of President Biya's biggest critics within Cameroon's Catholic clergy, Archbishop of Douala Samuel Kleda, expressed hope that Leo's visit might help resolve some of the country's problems.

"Our country has gone through many crises; some crises are still ongoing. The fruit we must draw from this visit is to commit ourselves as architects of peace," Archbishop Kleda said.

Leo will conclude his visit to Cameroon with a Saturday morning mass.

After visiting Muslim-majority Algeria, then Cameroon, the pontiff will travel to Angola and then Equatorial Guinea before returning home to Rome.

Read: Trump and Meloni Clash Over Pope Leo XIV and Iran

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