Pope Leo XIV greets people as he arrives to hold a holy Mass near Japoma Stadium in Douala, Cameroon, April 17, 2026. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
Sleeping through a cold, mosquito-filled night on the hard grounds of Japoma Stadium, Kevin Kaegam had no regrets. “It was difficult – the cold, the mosquitoes and everything,” he said. “But since we want to see the supreme pontiff, we had no choice.”
Kaegam was among scores of Cameroonians who arrived at the stadium in Douala a day early, determined to secure their place for a papal Mass on Friday that drew an estimated 120,000 worshippers, according to Vatican figures citing local authorities. The event marked the centrepiece of Pope Leo’s stop in Cameroon’s largest city and commercial capital — and the most attended gathering yet on his sweeping, 10-day tour across four African nations.
Pope Leo XIV arrives to hold a holy Mass for peace and justice at Bamenda airport in Bamenda, Cameroon, April 16, 2026. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
The first American pope to hold the office, Leo has used the Africa trip to sharpen a bold, uncompromising public voice. In remarks delivered in Cameroon on Thursday, he declared that the world was “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants”, offering no names but leaving little ambiguity about his intent. The comments have already drawn the displeasure of U.S. President Donald Trump, and Leo has further unsettled powerful interests by condemning violations of international law by what he described as “neocolonial” world powers and warning that “the whims of the rich and powerful” threaten global peace.
Addressing the faithful gathered at Japoma Stadium, Leo acknowledged that many in Cameroon endure both “material and spiritual poverty”, but urged them against turning to violence as a path out of hardship. Invoking the biblical miracle of the loaves and fishes, in which Jesus fed thousands with scarce provisions, he declared: “There is bread for everyone if it is given to everyone. There is bread for everyone if it is taken, not with a hand that snatches away, but with a hand that gives.”
The pope’s appeal for restraint was direct and personal. “Do not give in to distrust and discouragement,” he urged, delivering that portion of his otherwise largely French-language address in English. “Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives by promising easy gains but hardens the heart and makes it insensitive.”
His words carried particular weight in a country confronting deep-rooted instability. Cameroon, a significant producer of oil and cocoa, has been locked in a simmering armed conflict in its Anglophone regions since 2017, a crisis that has claimed thousands of lives. The nation has been governed for over four decades by 93-year-old President Paul Biya — the oldest sitting head of state in the world — whose re-election last October triggered protests that turned deadly. United Nations sources told reporters in November that security forces killed 48 civilians during the unrest, with nearly half of those deaths occurring in the Littoral region, which encompasses Douala.
People gather to attend a holy Mass that Pope Leo XIV will celebrate near the Japoma Stadium in Douala, Cameroon, April 17, 2026. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
Leo did not shy away from confronting that political reality. In a pointed address delivered in Biya’s presence on Wednesday, he challenged Cameroon’s leadership to break “the chains of corruption” gripping the country.
Despite — or perhaps because of — that candour, the pope has been embraced warmly by Cameroonians throughout his visit. Crowds lined the streets along his motorcade routes, many draped in colourful fabrics printed with his likeness. Bishop Leopold Bayemi Matjei, who leads the Church in Obala, about an hour north of the capital Yaoundé, described the visit as “a moment of great joy.”
“Our country needs a lot of blessing, a powerful blessing, so that hope will come to rise again,” the bishop said.
After flying into Douala from Yaoundé, Leo spent four hours in the city, which included a visit to a Catholic hospital, before returning to the capital. Now at the midpoint of his continental tour, the pontiff has shown no sign of moderating a message that blends pastoral compassion with an increasingly forceful critique of the powerful — a combination that has resonated deeply on a continent long acquainted with both faith and injustice.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah