Pope Leo XIV waves from the Popemobile to people gathering as he arrives to lead the Holy Mass at Bamenda Airport in Bamenda, Cameroon, during his tour of African countries, April 16.ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images
The world is being ravaged by a “handful of tyrants” and “masters of war” who spend billions of dollars on killing and devastation, Pope Leo has told a church audience in a conflict zone of northwestern Cameroon.
The pontiff, on a tour of African countries, did not name any leaders in his scathing remarks Thursday, but he has been an outspoken critic of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which has engulfed the Middle East and caused economic hardship around the world.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly denounced Pope Leo in recent days, calling him “weak” on crime and “terrible” for foreign policy. Leo responded at the beginning of his African tour this week by telling journalists that he will continue to speak out loudly against war, despite Mr. Trump’s comments.
He hammered that message home Thursday as he spoke at a cathedral in Bamenda, a city at the heart of a separatist conflict that has killed thousands of people in anglophone regions of Cameroon since 2017.
“The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet a lifetime is often not enough to rebuild,” he said. “They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found.”
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Pope Leo, the first pontiff from the United States, also denounced politicians who claim a religious justification for launching wars. “Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic or political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” he said.
He did not cite anyone by name, but Trump administration officials have used Christian rhetoric and the “just war doctrine” to defend the U.S. bombing of Iran.
Many Africans have closely watched the conflict between the Pope and Mr. Trump, and most are sympathetic to the pontiff, according to Serge Banyongen, a University of Ottawa political scientist who specializes in African politics.
“By openly denouncing wars and strongman politics, Pope Leo is resonating with a generation that is directly bearing the social, economic and political consequences of both phenomena,” he told The Globe and Mail.
American influence in Africa has been fading in recent years, while the Pope is seen as a principled leader who upholds the values of peace, Dr. Banyongen said.
His visit to Cameroon – the second of four African countries on his tour – is also drawing attention to its long-ruling, 93-year-old President, Paul Biya, and his tightening grip on power.
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Mr. Biya is the world’s oldest head of state and has ruled Cameroon for the past 44 years. He extended his dominance by winning a disputed election in October after one of his strongest opponents was disqualified. Security forces killed dozens of protesters after his victory was declared.
In April, the country’s parliament approved a constitutional amendment to create the post of vice-president, a move that is widely seen as consolidating Mr. Biya’s power by allowing him to hand-pick a successor.
Pope Leo XIV (C) arrives to lead the Holy Mass at Bamenda Airport.ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images
The government has tried to capitalize on the Pope’s popularity, erecting billboards that show the President side-by-side with the pontiff. Mr. Biya also accompanied the Pope to a speech Wednesday in the capital, Yaoundé – although Leo used the occasion to denounce the “chains of corruption” in Cameroon.
“Many Cameroonians who have endured the hardships of the current regime feared that the Pope’s visit would serve to legitimize a government already weakened by the postelectoral massacres and the ongoing conflict in the anglophone regions,” Dr. Banyongen said.
“However, by directly emphasizing the failures of governance and the ethical responsibilities of political leadership, Pope Leo made it clear that his visit was not intended to accommodate or endorse the regime.”
Chris Roberts, a University of Calgary political scientist who studies Cameroon, said the Biya government has used the Pope’s visit as “a marketing tool” to distract attention from the country’s economic problems and the separatist conflict.
He noted that Leo’s mass Thursday was held at an airport in Bamenda that has been mainly used by the military for years. His drive into the city “followed a route carefully cleaned up to ensure the Pope didn’t see the years of destruction and decay,” he told The Globe.