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In Brief
- During a visit to Cameroon on his African tour, Pope Leo says “the world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants”.
- Donald Trump responded by saying the pope needs to understand the realities of a “nasty world”.
Pope Leo XIV has taken a firm stance against “tyrants” wreaking havoc globally during a highly secure visit to a conflict-ridden region of Cameroon. This comes amid his ongoing verbal clash with US President Donald Trump.
In recent days, tensions have escalated between Trump and Pope Leo, particularly regarding the pope’s outspoken criticism of the ongoing Middle East conflict.
On Thursday, Trump addressed reporters, asserting that while the pope is free to express his views on global affairs, he should also acknowledge the “nasty” realities of the world.
The president’s remarks followed a powerful address by the pope in northwestern Cameroon. This was part of his historic tour across four African nations, where he has more openly advocated for global peace than ever before.
During his speech in Bamenda, a city central to a prolonged English-speaking separatist conflict, Pope Leo declared, “Woe to those who exploit religion and the divine for military, economic, and political gain, dragging sacredness into darkness and corruption.”
“The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters,” the pontiff said at Bamenda’s Saint Joseph’s Cathedral.
Speaking later, Trump struck a more conciliatory tone than in recent days, but still sought to school the pope on the war in Iran.
“The pope has to understand Iran has killed more than 42,000 people over the last few months,” he said.
“They were totally unarmed protesters. The pope has to understand that. This is the real world, it’s a nasty world.”
He denied he was “fighting” with the pontiff, saying he had “nothing against” him.
‘Plunder’ of Africa
The barbs come after US Vice President JD Vance — a Catholic — urged the Vatican to “stick to matters of morality”.
But the mood was joyous as the pope arrived in Bamenda under a military escort in a popemobile with bulletproof windows, blessing the worshippers who had gathered, many singing and blowing vuvuzela horns, to welcome him.
As he left the cathedral, Leo released white doves, a symbol of peace in a region of the central African country he called a “bloodstained yet fertile land that has been mistreated”.
At Bamenda airport — renovated for his visit after being shut since 2019 because of the insurgency —Leo condemned the ongoing exploitation of Africa in a mass.
He criticised “those who, in the name of profit, continue to lay their hands on the African continent to exploit and plunder it”.
Cameroon is rich in natural resources such as oil, timber, cocoa, coffee and minerals, which have attracted both foreign firms and local elites for decades.
On arrival in the country on Wednesday, the pope appealed to Cameroon’s leaders to examine their “conscience” and tackle corruption and rights abuses, in an uncharacteristically pointed speech at the presidential palace attended by longtime President Paul Biya.
Leo’s trip comes six months after the authorities violently put down protests against 93-year-old Biya’s disputed re-election for an eighth term.
Bolstered security
Security measures had been stepped up on the main routes through Bamenda for the visit.
Cameroon’s two anglophone regions have suffered almost a decade of armed violence following attempts to secede from the rest of the mostly French-speaking central African country.
Teacher Vivian Ndey, 60, from Bamenda, welcomed the pope carrying a “plant of peace” as a symbol of hope.
She spoke at the cathedral of the difficulty of teaching during the crisis, saying teachers were afraid to come to class and students had vanished.
Conflict erupted after Biya, who has ruled since 1982, violently repressed peaceful demonstrations in 2016 by English speakers who felt marginalised.
Civilians have been targeted with killings and kidnappings. At least 6,000 people have been killed since 2016, according to the United Nations.
On Monday, separatist groups announced a three-day truce to welcome the pope.
After the Bamenda trip, Leo is to hold a mass at a stadium in the economic capital Douala on Friday, before leaving Cameroon for Angola on Saturday. He then travels to Equatorial Guinea.
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