Yaoundé, CAMEROON — Pope Leo XIV opened his first official visit to Cameroon with a forceful appeal for political integrity, warning that corruption has become a “systemic sickness” undermining trust in the state and deepening the country’s political and social fractures.
Addressing President Paul Biya at the presidential palace in Yaoundé, the Pope delivered what Vatican officials privately described as one of the most direct political messages of his pontificate so far.
In remarks that visibly shifted between pastoral language and pointed moral critique, Leo XIV said public office “loses its legitimacy when it becomes a space for enrichment rather than service,” urging Cameroon’s leadership to confront what he called “the hidden networks that drain public resources and betray the trust of the people.”
According to officials familiar with the closed-door exchange, the Pope warned that corruption should not be treated as isolated misconduct but as a structural condition that “spreads through institutions like rust through iron,” weakening governance from within. He added that no economic programme or security strategy could succeed “while public trust continues to decay.”
Without naming individuals, he called on leaders to reject what he described as “the temptation of permanence in power,” urging instead a renewal of leadership grounded in accountability, transparency and service to citizens. His comments were widely interpreted as a carefully calibrated reference to Cameroon’s long political continuity under Biya, who has ruled for more than four decades and whose 2025 re-election remains disputed by opposition figures.
The Vatican has not released a full transcript of the meeting, but aides said the Pope emphasised that reconciliation in Cameroon must begin with institutions that are “credible, impartial and rooted in justice.” He also stressed that religious leaders alone cannot repair fractured societies without parallel reforms in governance.
The encounter comes at a sensitive moment for Cameroon, where frustration over governance has merged with long-standing regional grievances and an entrenched separatist conflict in the anglophone regions that has persisted since 2017. The violence has killed more than 6,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands, according to the International Crisis Group.
A nation under strain and a papal call for reconciliation
Beyond the presidential palace, the Pope’s visit has unfolded amid heavy symbolism and visible public anticipation. On Wednesday afternoon, Leo XIV travelled through Yaoundé to the Saint Thérèse orphanage, where he met children affected by poverty and displacement and spoke with staff about the growing strain on social services.
In a brief address at the orphanage, the Pope struck a more pastoral tone, telling caregivers that “a society reveals its conscience in the way it treats those who depend entirely on others for survival.” He encouraged humanitarian workers not to lose hope, even in what he called “conditions of chronic scarcity and prolonged uncertainty.”
Residents gathered along the route of his motorcade despite heightened security measures, with many describing the visit as a rare moment of national unity in an otherwise divided political climate. Church officials said the turnout reflected the enduring influence of the Catholic Church in Cameroon, where Catholics account for roughly 29 per cent of the population.
The Pope is expected to address the country’s wider conflict more explicitly during his next engagements. On Thursday, he is due to travel to Bamenda, one of the main centres of the anglophone separatist crisis, for a peace forum bringing together religious leaders, civil society representatives and selected political figures.
The visit is being closely watched, not least because local authorities have announced a temporary three-day suspension of hostilities in parts of the conflict zone to coincide with the papal presence. While such pauses have been attempted before, mediators acknowledge they are often fragile and unevenly respected by armed groups.
The separatist conflict, which erupted after protests over perceived marginalisation of English-speaking regions, has evolved into a low-intensity but persistent war marked by guerrilla-style attacks, military operations and widespread displacement. Analysts say it remains one of Central Africa’s most complex internal crises, with no clear political settlement in sight.
The Pope is expected to urge both government forces and separatist actors to prioritise civilian protection, with Vatican sources indicating he will frame peace not only as a political necessity but as a moral obligation grounded in the dignity of human life.
The final stage of the visit will take place in Douala on Friday, where Leo XIV will celebrate a large open-air Mass expected to draw up to 600,000 people. Church organisers say the scale of attendance reflects both Cameroon’s strong Catholic identity and the rarity of papal visits to the country.
Security preparations in Douala have intensified in anticipation of the event, with authorities expecting one of the largest public gatherings in Cameroon’s recent history.
Diplomatic observers say the Pope’s visit places the Vatican in a delicate position: engaging with a long-serving head of state whose legitimacy is contested, while simultaneously appealing for peace in a country fractured by conflict and political fatigue.
Still, Vatican officials insist the visit is intended as a pastoral mission rather than a political intervention. Yet Leo XIV’s opening remarks have already ensured that the trip will be read as both spiritual and deeply political — a call for moral reckoning in a nation struggling to reconcile authority, accountability and peace.
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