Pope Leo XIV left Algeria on Wednesday for Cameroon, beginning a four-day visit that will take him to the epicentre of a nearly decade-long separatist conflict, where he is expected to deliver a message of peace.
Following his historic visit to Algeria, the first by a pope to the North African nation, and one marked by twin suicide attacks and diplomatic tension with US President Donald Trump, the pontiff is now headed to mainly French-speaking Cameroon, where President Paul Biya has ruled since 1982.
In Cameroon, where more than a third of the country’s roughly 30 million people are Catholic, the Church plays a significant social and political role, operating an extensive network of hospitals, schools and charities and often acting as a mediator in conflicts.
In the capital Yaoundé, residents gathered ahead of the visit to purchase garments bearing the pope’s image, while posters, banners and flags decorated the city in anticipation of his arrival, the fourth papal visit to Cameroon, but the first since Pope Benedict XVI’s in 2009.
Pope Leo is scheduled to meet the 93-year-old Biya on Wednesday, in a meeting that has divided opinion among Catholics. Some clergy have expressed concern that the encounter could bolster the president’s image months after deadly protests against his disputed re-election to an eighth term.
The 70-year-old pontiff will also visit a Catholic orphanage and hold a private meeting with Cameroonian bishops.
Under tight security, he will travel on Thursday to the country’s conflict-hit Anglophone region, where English-speaking separatists have been fighting government forces for years. The violence has included killings and kidnappings of civilians.
Earlier this week, separatist groups announced a three-day truce beginning Wednesday to coincide with the papal visit to the west of the country, home to nearly a fifth of Cameroon’s population.
Leo is expected to celebrate Mass and deliver an address in Bamenda, the epicentre of the conflict, which began after protests in 2016 were violently suppressed and escalated into an armed separatist insurgency.
According to human rights organisations, the conflict has claimed more than 6,000 lives as of 2024.
“As the pope sets foot in Bamenda, we should have peace. All the killing and kidnapping should stop,” said Giovanni Mbuna, 36, who was abducted by separatists in 2023.
Archbishop of Bamenda, Andrew Nkea, expressed hope that the visit could help ease tensions.
“The pope’s visit will soften the hearts of extremists so that we can find common ground and reach a peaceful solution,” he said.
On Friday, the pontiff will celebrate Mass for hundreds of thousands of worshippers in a stadium in Douala, before departing Cameroon for Angola on Saturday.
During his stop in Algeria, Pope Leo made the first papal visit to the country, touring the birthplace of Christian theologian Saint Augustine and celebrating Mass at a basilica that attracts thousands of pilgrims annually, including Muslims and Jews.
He urged Algeria’s Christian community to “bear witness to the Gospel through simple gestures, genuine relationships and a dialogue lived day by day.”
However, the visit was overshadowed by twin suicide attacks in Blida, southwest of Algiers, on Monday. Authorities have not issued an official statement, though a source confirmed the blasts, which were not believed to be directly linked to the papal trip.
No deaths were reported apart from the attackers.
The pope’s first international tour also drew attention after comments from Donald Trump, who said he was “not a big fan” of the pontiff following remarks on global peace. US Vice President JD Vance also urged the Vatican to “stick to matters of morality… and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.”
Pope Leo dismissed the criticism, telling reporters aboard the papal plane en route to Algiers: “The Gospel says, blessed are the peacemakers.”
“I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration nor of speaking loudly about the message of the Gospel,” he added.
