Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Cameroon carrying a message of peace for the country’s restive separatist region and to meet President Paul Biya, the 93-year-old leader who secured an eighth term in a contested election last year. The pope flew to Cameroon from Algeria, the first stop on a four-nation tour of Africa.
The Vatican said the visit will emphasize fighting corruption in the mineral-rich country and underscoring proper uses of political authority. Vatican statements have suggested Catholic social teaching will be used to critique authoritarian styles of leadership the pope will encounter. The trip is described as the pontiff’s first visit to the African continent and, according to the Vatican, he is history’s first American pope.
Biya, who has led Cameroon since 1982, is the world’s oldest head of state. On arrival in Yaounde, Leo is scheduled to meet Biya at the presidential palace, address government officials, civil servants and diplomats, and visit an orphanage run by a Catholic order of nuns. Authorities made a late change to the program: Biya, rather than the prime minister, will now speak before the pope, and the meeting with government figures will take place in the presidential palace instead of at a conference center.
Opposition parties continue to dispute the Oct. 12 election that extended Biya’s rule. Rival candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary says he won and has urged Cameroonians to reject the official result.
Earlier this month, Leo issued a message on the proper role of political leaders and the need for what he called “authentic democracy” to legitimize authority and prevent abuses of power. In remarks to a Vatican academy for the social sciences dated April 1, he argued democracy must be grounded in morality and respect for human dignity, warning that without such foundations democracy can become “majoritarian tyranny” or serve the interests of economic and technological elites.
In Cameroon, the pope will lead two major public events. The centerpiece is a “peace meeting” Thursday in Bamenda, in the anglophone northwest, a region long affected by separatist violence. English-speaking separatists launched an uprising in 2017 seeking secession from the majority French-speaking state. The International Crisis Group estimates the conflict has killed more than 6,000 people and displaced over 600,000.
On the eve of the pope’s arrival, anglophone separatists announced a three-day cessation of hostilities to allow “safe travel” for the pontiff. The Unity Alliance, an umbrella of several factions, said the pause reflected the visit’s “profound spiritual importance” and was intended to let civilians, pilgrims and dignitaries move safely.
The pope will also celebrate a Mass Friday in Douala, where authorities expect roughly 600,000 attendees. He will travel to Angola on Saturday for the next leg of the tour, which concludes in Equatorial Guinea next week.