Pope Leo heads to Cameroon for second stop of Africa trip
Leo has two major events in Cameroon, with the highlight being a “peace meeting” in Cameroon’s Bamenda city, which has been plagued by violence.
Pope Leo XIV is heading to the central African nation of Cameroon with a message of peace and for talks with President Paul Biya, the 93-year-old leader whose time as leader was extended for an eighth term in a widely disputed election last year.
The Vatican says fighting corruption in the mineral-rich country and conversations on the correct uses of political authority are expected to be themes of Leo’s visit, which starts Wednesday with his arrival in Yaounde, the capital. Leo was travelling to Cameroon from Algeria, the first stop on his four-nation Africa tour.
President Biya is the world’s oldest leader and has led the central African nation since 1982.
Visit itinerary
Leo will meet with Biya upon arrival at the presidential palace in the capital Yaounde. He’ll then address Cameroon government authorities, civil service representatives and diplomats before visiting an orphanage run by a Catholic religious order of nuns.
Leo has two major events in Cameroon, with the highlight a “peace meeting” on Thursday in Cameroon’s north-west city of Bamenda, which has been plagued by violence.
Separatist movements from English-speaking minority citizens began in 2017, aimed at breaking away from the French-speaking majority of Cameroon and establishing an independent English-speaking state, has triggered violence. 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 separatists announced a three-day pause in fighting to allow “safe travel” for Leo’s visit.
The Unity Alliance, which includes several separatist groups, said in a statement late on 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.