ALGIERS, Algeria — Pope Leo XIV is traveling to Cameroon carrying a message of peace for its separatist region and to meet President Paul Biya, the 93-year-old leader whose grip on power was extended for an eighth term in a widely disputed election last year.
The Vatican says themes of the visit, which begins Wednesday with Leo’s arrival in Yaounde, will include fighting corruption in the mineral-rich country and insisting on the correct uses of political authority. Leo was en route to Cameroon from Algeria, the first stop on his four-nation Africa tour.
The Vatican has emphasized that Catholic social teaching disapproves of the types of authoritarian leadership Leo is encountering on his trip. Biya has led the central African nation since 1982.
Upon arrival in Yaounde, Leo will meet Biya at the presidential palace. He will then address government authorities, civil service representatives and diplomats before visiting an orphanage run by a Catholic religious order. Cameroon authorities made a last-minute program change: Biya, not the prime minister, will now speak before Leo and the encounter will take place in the presidential palace rather than at a conference center.
Cameroon’s opposition has contested the Oct. 12 election that handed Biya victory. His election rival, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, says he won and has called on Cameroonians to reject the official result.
This week Leo issued a message about the proper role of political leaders and the need for “authentic democracy” to legitimize authority and serve as a check on abuse of power. In a message to a Vatican academy for social science dated April 1, he wrote that democracy remains healthy only when driven by morality and a vision that respects everyone’s dignity. “Lacking this foundation, it risks becoming either a majoritarian tyranny or a mask for the dominance of economic and technological elites,” he warned.
A key event in Cameroon will be a “peace meeting” on Thursday in the northwest city of Bamenda, long affected by separatist violence. English-speaking separatists launched a rebellion in 2017 aiming to break away from the French-speaking majority and form an independent English-speaking state. The conflict has killed more than 6,000 people and displaced over 600,000 others, according to the International Crisis Group.
On the eve of Leo’s arrival, English-speaking separatists announced a three-day pause in fighting to allow “safe travel” for the pope. The Unity Alliance, which includes several separatist groups, said the pause reflects the “profound spiritual importance” of the visit and is intended to let civilians, pilgrims and dignitaries move safely.
Leo’s other major event in Cameroon is a Mass on Friday in Douala, where about 29% of the population is Catholic and some 600,000 people are expected to attend. On Saturday, Leo departs for Angola, the third leg of his trip, which concludes next week in Equatorial Guinea.