Pope Leo presses peace message in Cameroon amid clash with Trump

Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Cameroon, continuing a high-profile African tour that blends calls for peace with a growing public rift with US President Donald Trump.

The US-born pontiff landed on Wednesday and quickly set the tone, delivering remarks that linked peace to accountability and governance. Speaking before President Paul Biya, he urged political leaders to reflect on their responsibilities.

“It is time to examine our conscience and take a bold leap forward,” Leo said.

“In order for peace and justice to prevail, the chains of corruption – which disfigure authority and strip it of its credibility – must be broken,” he added.

The visit comes at a sensitive moment for Cameroon, where separatist violence in the northwest has created a prolonged humanitarian and security crisis. As part of his trip, the pope is expected to attend a “peace meeting” in Bamenda, with separatist groups announcing a temporary pause in fighting during his stay.

Leo’s broader message has remained consistent throughout his African tour, which began in Algeria: a focus on peace, social justice and the role of leadership in addressing inequality and conflict. But that message has also put him on a collision course with Washington.

His criticism of the US-Israel war on Iran, and in particular his condemnation of threats to destroy Iranian civilisation as “truly unacceptable”, has drawn a sharp response from the Trump administration. US Vice President JD Vance recently warned that the pope should “be careful” when speaking about theology.

Trump himself has escalated the rhetoric, using social media to accuse the pope of being “weak on crime” and politically aligned with the left. The dispute has unsettled some of Trump’s religious base and added an unusual dimension to US domestic and foreign policy debates.

In Cameroon, the reaction has been notably critical of Trump’s tone. Blaise Bebey Abong, a diplomat based in Yaounde, described the comments as unprecedented.

“I was utterly shocked to read President Trump’s remarks about the pope. Nowhere in modern history have we witnessed such verbal recklessness against an institution as revered as the papacy,” he told Reuters.

Abong went further, calling the remarks “unthinkable” and warning they could affect perceptions of the US president across the region.

Despite the political backdrop, the Vatican has maintained a measured response. Pope Leo has said he has “no fear” of the Trump administration and intends to continue advocating for peace and dialogue.