Pope Leo XIV arrived in the central African nation of Cameroon on Wednesday with a message of peace for its separatist region and for talks with 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.
Separatists in the country announced a three-day pause in fighting.
The Vatican says fighting corruption in the mineral-rich country and insisting on the correct uses of political authority are expected to be themes of Leo’s visit, which starts in Yaounde, the capital.
Leo has travelled from Algeria, the first stop on his four-nation Africa tour.
The Vatican has made clear that Catholic social teaching disapproves of the types of authoritarian leaders that Leo is encountering on his visit, the first to the continent by history’s first US-born pope.
Mr Biya is the world’s oldest leader and has led Cameroon since 1982.
Leo will meet Mr Biya at the presidential palace in Yaounde. He will then address government authorities, civil service representatives and diplomats before visiting an orphanage run by a Catholic order of nuns.
Cameroon authorities made a last-minute change to the programme, the Vatican said. Mr Biya, and not the prime minister, will deliver a speech before Leo addresses authorities and the encounter will occur in the presidential palace, not a conference centre.
Cameroon’s opposition has contested the result of the October 12 election. Mr Biya’s election rival, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, claims to have won and has called on Cameroonians to reject the official result.
Just this week, Leo issued an unrelated message on the correct role of political leaders and the need for “authentic democracy” to legitimise their authority and act as a “guardrail against the abuse of power”.
In a message to a Vatican academy for social science, Leo wrote that democracy remains healthy only when it is driven by morality and a vision of humanity that respects the dignity of everyone.
“Lacking this foundation, it risks becoming either a majoritarian tyranny or a mask for the dominance of economic and technological elites,” he warned in a message that was not directed at any particular nation or leader and was dated April 1.
Leo has two major events in Cameroon, with the highlight a “peace meeting” on Thursday in Cameroon’s northwest city of Bamenda, which has been plagued by separatist violence.
English-speaking separatists launched a rebellion in 2017 with the stated goal of breaking away from Cameroon’s French-speaking majority and establishing an independent state.
The conflict has killed more than 6,000 people and displaced some 600,000 others, according to the International Crisis Group, a think tank.
On the eve of Leo’s arrival, the English-speaking separatists announced a three-day pause in fighting to allow “safe travel” for his visit.
The Unity Alliance, which includes several separatist groups, said in a statement on Monday the pause reflects the “profound spiritual importance” of the visit and is intended to allow civilians, pilgrims and dignitaries to travel safely.
Leo spoke to journalists aboard the papal plane en route to Cameroon as he continued his Africa visit. He made no mention of US President Donald Trump’s recent criticism of him or the suggestion by Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, that he should “be careful” when speaking about theology.
Leo took no questions but focused on his just-concluded visit to Algeria and the teachings of St Augustine of Hippo, the inspiration of his religious order and his own spirituality.
However, Leo spoke in terms that suggested the Trump administration’s criticism of the pope’s calls for peace in the US-Israeli war with Iran had not gone unnoticed.
Mr Trump has issued repeated broadsides this week against history’s first US-born pope, accusing him of being weak on crime and a captive to the left, and asserting that Leo owed his papacy to Mr Trump.
Mr Trump also posted, then took down, an AI-generated, Christ-like image of himself that drew widespread condemnation, even from many supporters.
Overnight, Mr Trump posted “Not good!!!” in response to a post citing social media posts by Leo before he was pope that were critical of Mr Trump.
And he wrote: “Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable.”
Leo drew attention to his visit on Tuesday to Annaba, the ancient city of Hippo where St Augustine, the theological and philosophical giant of the early church, lived as a bishop for more than 30 years.
“His writings, his teaching, his spirituality, his invitation to search for God and to search for truth is something that is very much needed today, a message that is very real for all of us today as believers in Jesus Christ, but for all people,” Leo said.
By going to Hippo, Leo said he wanted to offer the church and the world a vision that St Augustine offers in terms of seeking “unity among all peoples and respect for all people in spite of the differences”.
He recalled that the vast majority of Algerians are Muslim, but that they respect and honour St Augustine as “one of the great sons of their land”. Such an attitude, he said, helps to build bridges between Christians and Muslims and promote dialogue.
And he recalled his visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers, where he stood in silent prayer.
“I think the visit to the mosque was significant to say that although we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshiping, we have different ways of living, we can live together in peace,” he said.
“And so I think that to promote that kind of image is something which the world needs to hear today.”
Mr Trump’s attacks on Leo began after the pope amplified criticism of war and asserted that God does not bless those who drop bombs. Leo also called Mr Trump’s threat to annihilate Iranian civilisation “truly unacceptable”.
After chastising the pope, Mr Trump turned his ire on Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, long one of his closest European allies, for calling his papal broadside “unacceptable” and not backing the US-Israel war on Iran.
“I thought she had courage,” Mr Trump said in an interview with leading Italian daily Corriere della Sera. “I was wrong.”
Mr Trump doubled down on Wednesday, saying their bond had frayed.
“She’s been negative,” he told Fox News. “Anybody that turned us down to helping with this Iran situation, we do not have the same relationship.”
Leo’s other big event in Cameroon, where about 29% of the population is Catholic, is a Mass on Friday in the city of Douala, where some 600,000 people are expected to turn out.
On Saturday, Leo heads to Angola for the third leg of his trip, which ends next week in Equatorial Guinea.
