BAMENDA/LONDON: Pope Leo XIV on Thursday criticised the “tyrants” ransacking the world, on a high-security visit to a “bloodstained” region of Cameroon following a war of words with US President Donald Trump.

Since his landmark four-nation African tour kicked off earlier this week — after Trump lashed out aga­inst the pope’s criticism of the Mid­dle East war — the pope has abandoned his previous restraint in spea­k­­ing out in favour of world peace.

“Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” Leo said in the northwestern city of Bamenda, the epicentre of a nearly decade-long English-speaking separatist insurgency that has killed thousands.

“The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters,” the pontiff warned, in a solemn speech at Bam­enda’s Saint Joseph’s Cathedral.

Archbishop of Canterbury backs pontiff after spat with Trump

As he left the cathedral, Leo released white doves, a symbol of peace in a region of the central African country he called a “bloodstained yet fertile land that has been mistreated”. “Those who rob your land of its resources generally invest much of the profit in weapons, thus perpetuating an endless cycle of destabilisation and death,” he said.

“They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found,” Leo added.

‘Plunder’ of Africa

Later on Thursday at Bamenda airport — which was renovated for the pope’s visit after being shut since 2019 due to the separatist insurgency — Leo criticised the ongoing exploitation of Africa in a mass to worshippers.

In an address with a strong social message, the pope bemoaned “those who, in the name of profit, continue to lay their hands on the African continent to exploit and plunder it”. Cameroon is rich in natural resources such as oil, timber, cocoa, coffee and minerals, which have attracted both foreign firms and local elites for decades.

On arrival in the country on Wednesday, the pope appealed to Cameroon’s leaders to examine their “conscience” and tackle corruption and rights abuses, in an uncharacteristically pointed speech at the presidential palace attended by President Paul Biya.

Anglican support

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, threw her support behind Pope Leo on Thursday, urging 85 million Anglicans worldwide to speak out for peace after US President Donald Trump attacked the pope over his criticism of the war in Iran.

In her first public comments addressing Trump’s criticism, the leader of the Church of England signalled her solidarity with Leo, who has emerged as an outspoken critic of the war in recent weeks.

“I stand with my brother in Christ, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, in his courageous call for a kingdom of peace,” Mullally, the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, said in a statement.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2026