Pope Leo delivered unusually forceful remarks in Cameroon, condemning leaders who spend billions on wars and stating the world is "being ravaged by a handful of tyrants." The first American pope also denounced leaders using religious language to justify conflict, urging a "decisive change of course." Speaking in Bamenda, a city in Cameroon's conflict-ridden anglophone regions, Leo stated, "The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild." He criticized the diversion of funds to warfare over essential needs like healing and education.
These pronouncements come amidst social media attacks on Leo by US President Donald Trump, who has criticized the pontiff as "weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy." Leo, an outspoken critic of the war initiated by US-Israeli strikes on Iran, maintained his commitment to speaking out, stating he is "not afraid" to address the conflict. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, expressed solidarity with the pope's "courageous call for a kingdom of peace."
In Bamenda, Leo sharply criticized those who "manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain." He described the situation as "a world turned upside down." Leo also met with victims of the ongoing conflict in Cameroon, hearing accounts of kidnappings and mosque invasions. A separatist alliance announced a three-day ceasefire during the pope's visit, offering a flicker of hope for peace efforts in the region.