In Cameroon, Pope Leo XIV shows his passion for peace

Since his election, Pope Leo XIV has generally appeared rather reserved. But on Thursday, while visiting Bamenda, a city in northern Cameroon (Africa) that is battered by separatist movements, the 267th pope made a lasting impression with his vibrant tone. He declaimed every word as if hoping to engrave his message deeply into this land.

“The lived experience of suffering by your community has only made stronger your conviction that God has never abandoned us!”

The residents of Bamenda had been eagerly awaiting the Pope, and from his very first words, ovations erupted inside the cathedral. The Pontiff certainly set the tone: enunciating each syllable in English, he delivered his message full of determination.

"I am here to proclaim peace. Yet I find it is you who are proclaiming peace to me, and to the entire world," he said. He continued his vibrant address while the crowd in the pews remained captivated by him. Improvising a few remarks with resolute passion, he sought to galvanize the Cameroonians. "May we all continue on the path of goodness which leads to peace," the Pontiff prayed. Bamenda's interreligious dialogue, he noted, can serve as a model for the entire planet.

In this region of ochre soil and lush, forested hills, the head of the Catholic Church shared his deep convictions with the people, delivering his speech with vigor. And Bamenda returned the enthusiasm. On the streets, starting from the airport and along the eight miles leading to the cathedral, an unbroken crowd waited for him in the heat and sun. They shouted with joy as his car passed by.

In a touching display of generosity, locals were still hastily sweeping the cathedral threshold just moments before the Pope stepped onto the red carpet. Wherever the Pope's shadow drew near, cheers of joy welcomed him.

"Bamenda, today you are the city on the hill, resplendent in the eyes of all!" the Pope responded to this euphoria, as if to lift the souls of those listening. Standing before the altar, the Successor of Peter didn't mince words when condemning “masters of war.” He denounced "a world turned upside down, an exploitation of God's creation that must be denounced and rejected by every honest conscience."

As his address continued, Pope Leo XIV looked to the future. "Do not lose your flavor, even in the years to come," he warned, encouraging the myriad of people thirsting for peace to lead a “silent revolution” to thwart the “handful of tyrants” destroying the world.

He drove the point home a few hours later during a Mass, shortly before boarding his plane back to Yaoundé. "This is the moment to change, to transform the story of this country.  The time has come, today and not tomorrow, now and not in the future," he declared.

In response, thunderous applause rose from an entire people who had been waiting in hope. As a woman named Jeannette noted from the crowd, "If things don't change in Bamenda, there is no future for our children."