Pope Leo XIV has criticised the “handful of tyrants” who are ravaging Earth with war and exploitation, as he preached a message of peace in the epicentre of a separatist conflict considered one of the world’s most neglected crises.
Leo travelled to the western Cameroon city of Bamenda, where jubilant people filled the roads, blowing horns and dancing to welcome him.
They were overjoyed that a pope had come so far to see them and put a global spotlight on the violence that has traumatised the region for nearly a decade.
Leo, who is in the middle of four-nation Africa tour, 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.
In his remarks in the St Joseph Cathedral, on land donated by the Mankon, Leo praised the peace movement and warned against allowing religion to enter conflicts.
It is a theme he has been echoing amid the US-Israeli war in Iran and the religious justifications for it by US officials.
Blessed are the peacemakers. But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain
“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.”
He called for a “decisive change of course” that leads away from conflict and the exploitation of the land and its people 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.
Leo’s comments were directed at Cameroon’s separatist conflict. But Vatican officials have made clear that on this trip, he is preaching the Gospel message of peace that surpasses borders and continents, and is meant for all those responsible for the wars and exploitation ravaging the Earth.
It was not immediately clear if any of the separatist fighters, who announced a three-day pause in fighting to allow the Pope safe passage, would attend.
Thousands of people then gathered on the Bamenda airfield for Leo’s afternoon Mass, which he was celebrating before returning to the capital Yaounde.
The conflict in Cameroon is rooted in the country’s colonial history, when the country was divided between France and Britain after the First World War. English-speaking regions later joined French Cameroon in a 1961 UN-backed vote, but separatists say they have since been politically and economically marginalised.
In 2017, English-speaking separatists launched a rebellion with the stated goal of breaking away from the French-speaking majority and establishing an independent state. The conflict has killed more than 6,000 people and displaced more than 600,000 others, according to the International Crisis Group.
The separatist movement is believed to be backed by several actors abroad. In December last year, a federal jury in the US convicted two individuals for conspiracy to provide funds and equipment to the separatist fighters.
Belgian authorities in March also announced they had arrested four people as part of its investigations into Belgian residents suspected of being among the separatist leaders and raising money for them from Belgium.
“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,” Leo said. “It is a world turned upside down, an exploitation of God’s creation that must be denounced and rejected by every honest conscience.”
Cameroon sits atop significant reserves of oil, natural gas, cobalt, bauxite, iron ore, gold and diamonds, making resource extraction one of the pillars of its economy.
While French and English companies have long dominated the extraction industry in Cameroon, Chinese companies have established a significant presence in recent years, particularly in the gold mining regions of the east.
On the eve of Leo’s arrival, separatist fighters announced a three-day pause in fighting. A spokesperson for the Unity Alliance, Lucas Asu, said the pause “reflects a deliberate commitment to responsibility, restraint and respect for human dignity, even in the context of ongoing conflict”.
Though the number of deadly attacks by separatists has decreased in recent years, the conflict shows no sign of resolution. Peace talks with international mediators have stalled, with both sides accusing each other of acting in bad faith.
