Pope Leo XIV has criticised foreigners who exploit the wealth of Africa for profit during his visit to a conflict-hit region of Cameroon.<\/p>\n
It is one of several forthright remarks he has made over the last day, including blasting those who spend billions on wars and telling Cameroon\u2019s government to root out corruption for peace to prevail.<\/p>\n
He has spent the day in Bamenda, a city at the centre of Cameroon\u2019s brutal and long-running separatist rebellion.<\/p>\n
Internal problems were exacerbated by outsiders who \u201cin the name of profit, continue to lay their hands on the African continent to exploit and plunder it\u201d, he told an estimated 20,000 worshippers at a Mass at Bamenda Airport.<\/p>\n
Earlier, joyful crowds sang, drummed and waved flags to welcome the leader of the Catholic Church, who arrived under military escort in a bullet-proof white vehicle.<\/p>\n
The Pope\u2019s first stop was at a peace meeting in Bamenda held at Saint Joseph\u2019s Cathedral about the nearly 10-year insurgency in Cameroon\u2019s two English-speaking regions that has left at least 6,000 people dead and many more forced from their homes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants,\u201d he told the gathering \u2013 comments that follow US President Donald Trump\u2019s recent criticism of the pontiff, who last year became the first US-born Pope.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose who rob your land of its resources generally invest much of the profit in weapons, thus perpetuating an endless cycle of destabilisation and death,\u201d said the 70-year-old Pope.<\/p>\n
Since 2017, those seeking to create a breakaway state in Cameroon\u2019s Anglophone region have been fighting government forces.<\/p>\n
They are angered by what they see as the marginalisation of Cameroon\u2019s English-speaking minority by the Francophone-dominated government.<\/p>\n
Religious leaders and victims of the Anglophone conflict took turns to share the impact of the fighting with the Pope.<\/p>\n
A Muslim leader decried the killing of members of the Mbororo indigenous community, looting of cattle and other items.<\/p>\n
A nun revealed details of her kidnap by separatist fighters, highlighting the severity of the conflict.<\/p>\n
Another man shared how he was forced to flee his home.<\/p>\n
The Pope commended their work and said it was a model for the whole world: \u201cLet us thank God that this crisis has not degenerated into a religious war.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commentators say the Pope has been unusually blunt in his speeches in Cameroon.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday at the presidential palace in the capital, Yaound\u00e9, he gave pointed advice to the government during at address also attended by President Paul Biya.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn order for peace and justice to prevail, the chains of corruption \u2013 which disfigure authority and strip it of its credibility \u2013 must be broken,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Cameroon\u2019s 93-year-old president won an eighth term last year in a disputed poll and his administration faces criticism over allegations of corruption, bad governance and a failure to tackle security.<\/p>\n
\u201cHearts must be set free from an idolatrous thirst for profit,\u201d the pontiff said as the world\u2019s oldest head of state sat on impassively.<\/p>\n
State television halted its live feed for parts of the Pope\u2019s address, according to the Associated Press, which reported that it was unclear if technical issues were to blame.<\/p>\n
During the same address, the Pope also described young people as the hope of Cameroon and the Church.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir energy and creativity are invaluable. Investing in their education, training, and entrepreneurship is essential for peace and for preventing the loss of talent and the spread of social ills,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish to highlight especially the role of women, who, though often victims of injustice, are tireless builders of peace. Their voice must be fully recognised in decision-making processes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Biya had promised to prioritise women and young people after winning re-election in October. Expectations remain high amid a looming cabinet reshuffle.<\/p>\n
The Archbishop of Bamenda, Andrew Nkea, has said the pontiff\u2019s visit will bring hope to the people whose lives have been disrupted by the conflict in Cameroon\u2019s North-West and South-West regions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can confidently say now is the time for peace,\u201d said Nkea.<\/p>\n
These words were echoed by the Pope at the Mass held later at the airport, where his vehicle first looped around the airfield several times to greet the cheering crowds as choirs sang.<\/p>\n
He said change was possible if people obeyed God, not human beings.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe time has come, today and not tomorrow, now and not in the future, to restore the mosaic of unity by bringing together the diversity and riches of the country and the continent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must obey God rather than any human authority.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peace is the main theme of the Pope\u2019s 11-day tour of the continent, with Angola and Equatorial Guinea next on his agenda.<\/p>\n
He started his trip in Algeria on Monday, marking the first visit by any pope to the predominantly Muslim country.<\/p>\n
It is also the birthplace of St Augustine, who founded the order followed by Pope Leo \u2013 the first pontiff to do so.<\/p>\n
During his two days in Algeria he went to the Great Mosque in Algiers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the visit to the mosque was significant and 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,\u201d he said afterwards.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pope Leo XIV has criticised foreigners who exploit the wealth of Africa for profit during his visit to a conflict-hit region of Cameroon. It is one of several forthright remarks he has made over the last day, including blasting those who spend billions on wars and telling Cameroon\u2019s government to root out corruption for peace […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-138005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138005\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}