“The Pope has arrived, the Pope is leaving, but you have his words”: Pope Leo XIV called on the more than 4,000 Catholic religious in Cameroon to take action, meeting with representatives of their religious congregations late in the day on April 17, 2026. This meeting was added to his schedule at the last minute.
Some 250 religious congregations are active in Cameroon. Pope Leo urged representatives to put the words of his visit into action.
After attending a meeting with students from the Catholic University of Central Africa, the Pope received nine people representing more than 250 religious congregations active in Cameroon, the Holy See said in a statement. They spoke of their commitment to alleviating the suffering of the population, the statement noted, citing the plight of young people, displaced persons, and “victims of violence and human trafficking.”
As he prepares to leave the country on Saturday after a final public Mass, the Pope urged these missionaries to get involved in ensuring his messages are put into practice.
Over the course of these days, the Successor of Peter has preached peace and unity, but also honesty and integrity, repeatedly denouncing corruption and abuse, as well as superstitions. He has also encouraged efforts to prevent the emigration of the younger generations.
“Consecrated life is an essential part of the life of the Church!” the pontiff told the religious this evening. Himself a member of the Order of Saint Augustine, he acknowledged that “consecrated life requires courage, and at times a certain radicalism in the choice to proclaim without fear what Jesus teaches us in the Gospel.” He asked them to be “disciples who engage with the most complex problems, the most remote peripheries, the least among us, prisoners, and those most in need of hope and God’s love.”
During this exchange, Leo XIV urged them to “recognize and […] promote the various charisms of the congregations present in each diocese,” the note adds. The religious confided to the Pontiff their “need for greater collaboration with bishops and diocesan priests.”
The Pope also called for particular attention to be paid to the formation of candidates, which, in his view, must prepare them “to embrace a life of sacrifice, self-giving, and service within a community.” Finally, he encouraged reflection on certain challenges “such as coexistence between people of different religions, and youth ministry."
