YAOUNDE, Cameroon. (AP) — Pope Leo XIV arrived Wednesday in Cameroon and delivered a masterclass on wielding authority legitimately to its 93-year-old president, Paul Biya, who consolidated his four-decade grip on power with a contested election last year that gave him an eighth term in office.
The Vatican had said fighting corruption in the mineral-rich central African country would be one of the themes of Leo’s visit, and the American pope didn’t
hold back in addressing Biya and government authorities in his arrival address at the presidential palace.
“In order for peace and justice to prevail, the chains of corruption — which disfigure authority and strip it of its credibility — must be broken," Leo said. “Hearts must be set free from an idolatrous thirst for profit.”
The president, who is the world’s oldest, sat passively as Leo read his speech in French. Cameroonian television halted its live feed for parts of Leo’s speech, but it wasn’t clear if technical glitches were to blame.
The Vatican has made clear that Catholic social teaching disapproves of the types of authoritarian leaders that Leo is encountering on his four-nation African visit, the first to the continent by history’s first U.S.-born pope.
Biya has led Cameroon since 1982 and just Tuesday signed into law a bill that reintroduces the vice president position, a move the opposition says will further strengthen his grip on power.
Cameroon’s opposition has contested the result of the Oct. 12 election that secured the victory for Biya. His election rival Issa Tchiroma Bakary claims to have won and has called on Cameroonians to reject the official result.
Leo told Biya, Cameroon generals, diplomats and civil society representatives that Cameroon needed to take “a bold leap forward” to impose transparency in public finances and integrate civil society organizations into the fabric of daily life.
“With such a change of approach, civil society must be recognized as a vital force for national cohesion. Cameroon is ready for this transition!” Leo said. Young people in general, and women in particular had a vital role to play in bringing Cameroon into a new dawn, he said.
“Their commitment to education, mediation and the rebuilding of the social fabric is unparalleled and serves to curb corruption and abuses of power. For this reason, too, their voice must be fully recognized in decision- making processes,” Leo said.
Leo, who wrote his canon law dissertation on the wielding of authority by Augustinian religious superiors, cited St. Augustine on the correct role of political leaders, saying the saint's words from 1,600 years ago have great relevance today.
“Those who rule serve those whom they seem to command; for they rule not from a love of power, but from a sense of the duty they owe to others,” Leo said, quoting Augustine.
He added: “From this perspective, serving one’s country means dedicating oneself, with a clear mind and an upright conscience, to the common good of all people in the nation."
Cheering Cameroonians gave Leo a raucous welcome, the first pope to visit since Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. They lined the road into the capital Yaounde from the airport, two and three deep in places, dancing and waving palm fronds as the pope's motorcade whizzed by.
Many women dressed in identical bright dresses and stood behind banners announcing the name of their parish, while billboards splashed posters of the pope and Biya under the banner “Land of Hope.”
Gerald Mambeh, a teacher in Yaounde, said the pope’s visit needs to spark genuine dialogue and accountability to achieve lasting peace.
“This visit feels like light entering a dark room… but peace will not come from symbolism alone,” said Mambeh, a Catholic. “In a country where many feel abandoned, his presence feels like God has not forgotten us. Let the pope hear this beyond the politics: Cameroonians are not asking for miracles, we are asking for fairness, dignity, and a future.”
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 over 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 Monday the pause reflects the “profound spiritual importance” of the visit and is intended to allow civilians, pilgrims and dignitaries to travel safely.
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.
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