Pope Leo XIV’s first trip to Africa was intended to set an example and send a clear message of peace to the world, church circles said as the pontiff began a ten-day journey to four African countries. On Thursday, after ten days on the continent, Leo began his return to Vatican City.
Cameroon: criticism of warring parties
In many places the pope was greeted with great joy by followers. In Douala, Cameroon’s largest city, he celebrated Mass at the Japoma Stadium. Franck Fokou, a political scientist in Cameroon, welcomed the pope’s willingness to address difficult governance issues. “We understood the Holy Father’s appeal as a reminder to the government to respect human rights. He pointed out that we must not use violence to harass the population, but must remember that violence must serve peace,” he told DW.
Cameroon is ruled by 93-year-old Paul Biya, now in his eighth term; rights groups have raised concerns about the human rights situation. For years a violent conflict has simmered between separatists in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions and the French-speaking central government in Yaounde. During the pope’s visit, separatists declared a temporary ceasefire.
In his sermon the pope spoke forcefully to the warring parties to applause. “The warlords act as if they do not know that a single moment is enough to destroy; but that often a whole lifetime is not enough to rebuild,” he told the crowd.
Leo recalls previous popes’ visits
Peace is a recurring theme that drives civil society organizations and that Sophie Estelle Gouleu, president of the Policemen’s Wives Association in Cameroon, sees as a roadmap. “The Holy Father said: The world has had enough of wars. Women, young people, and civil society play a decisive role in maintaining social cohesion,” she noted.
Daniel Bilong, a Cameroonian priest, said the Church’s messages resonated beyond Catholics. “The pope’s visit means a lot to us in Cameroon, not only for Catholics, but also for people of other faiths,” he said. “The encounters with Muslims, in particular, were very promising. Our world cannot exist without dialogue, and for interfaith dialogue, it is very important that Christians and Muslims in Africa are able to engage in conversation.”
Leo recalled visits by predecessors: “John Paul II, messenger of hope; Benedict XVI, who emphasized the importance of justice and the moral responsibility of those in power,” and asked, “Where do we stand? What remains to be done?”
Algeria: interfaith dialogue
The pope began his four-country tour in Algeria, a predominantly Muslim country. He visited the Great Mosque of Algiers and called for mutual respect between Muslims and Christians. In both Cameroon and Algeria, he promoted dialogue between communities and social cohesion, Fredson Guilengue, a political scientist at the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation in Johannesburg, said.
Guilengue noted the broader aim: consolidating the Catholic Church’s presence in Africa, where roughly 20% of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics live — and where that number is growing. He also sees continuity with Pope Francis’s message of promoting peace and reconciliation, such as during Francis’s 2019 visit to Mozambique.
Angola: promoting unity
In Angola, the pope emphasized that peace and stability are hard to achieve when only a few benefit from a country’s wealth. Guilengue said Angola is marked by corruption and inequality, with wealth concentrated among a small minority. The country, rich in oil and diamonds, has seen demonstrations and strikes against Prime Minister Joao Lourenco; about half of its roughly 38 million inhabitants are considered poor despite natural resource wealth.
Guilengue said Pope Leo is positioning the Catholic Church as a moral voice against injustice and division, not only in Africa but globally, and noted a perceived difference from predecessors in Leo’s openness toward world leaders.
Equatorial Guinea: the gap between rich and poor
At the conclusion of his visit in Equatorial Guinea, the pope admonished President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, Africa’s longest-serving head of state, saying the situation in the country has not changed in recent decades. Obiang has led the country since 1979; its population of about 1.7 million is roughly 75% Catholic.
“The gap between a small minority — 1% of the population — and the overwhelming majority has widened dramatically,” the pope said, criticizing an elite that profits from the country’s oil wealth.
Guilengue stressed the importance of a clear stance from the head of the Catholic Church on stability in Africa. “We will only have a better picture in the near future of what people in Africa can expect from this pope, but at the moment he seems to be a very political pope,” he said.
Henri Fotso in Cameroon and Braima Darame in Angola contributed reporting.
This article has been adapted from German.