Bamenda, CAMEROON – Pope Leo XIV has delivered a remarkably blunt address to the Cameroonian government, calling for an end to systemic corruption and the global arms trade that fuels local conflicts.
Okay News understands that the Pontiff, currently on the second leg of his 11-day African tour, met with the world’s oldest head of state, 93-year-old President Paul Biya, in Yaoundé on Thursday, April 16, 2026. During a forthright speech at the presidential palace, the Pope declared that the “chains of corruption” must be broken for justice to prevail, noting that graft “disfigures authority and strips it of its credibility.”
Following the meeting in the capital, the Pope traveled to Bamenda, the heart of Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, which have been ravaged by a separatist insurgency since 2017. Addressing a gathering at Saint Joseph Cathedral, the Pope took a direct swipe at global leaders and arms dealers, stating that the world is being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” who invest profits from stolen resources into weapons.
The visit comes at a time of extreme tension; the Anglophone conflict has claimed at least 6,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands. In a rare gesture of respect, separatist fighters announced a “safe travel passage” to accommodate the papal visit. The Pope listened to harrowing testimonies from victims, including a nun who was previously kidnapped by rebels and a Muslim leader who described the looting and killing of members of the indigenous Mbororo community.
This “blunt-speaking” approach follows a high-profile public feud with U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently labeled the Pope “weak on foreign policy.” Pope Leo XIV appeared undeterred, doubling down on his message of peace and social justice. He also emphasized the importance of empowering women and youth, describing them as the “tireless builders of peace” in a nation struggling with bad governance and insecurity.
The Pope’s tour continues with scheduled stops in Angola and Equatorial Guinea, as he remains the first Augustinian Pope to visit the birthplace of St. Augustine in North Africa and the wider central African region.
