Continuing his apostolic visit to Cameroon, Pope Leo XIV on April 16 held a meeting for peace, where he held up the interreligious dialogue occurring in the country as an example for the rest of the world, and celebrated Mass at the airport, during which he urged the people of Cameroon to grow in hope and courage.
The peace meeting took place at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Bamenda and was attended by residents of the city, as well as several religious and cultural leaders and an internally displaced family, according to Vatican News. The meeting opened with prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, which was followed by testimonies from several of those present, including the Supreme Traditional Chief of the Mankon people, a leader from the Presbyterian Church, a Muslim imam, and a religious sister.
Pope Leo then addressed the gathering, highlighting the violence and difficulties Cameroon has experienced during political turmoil but giving thanks for the peace that many have managed to bring out of numerous challenges.
“His Excellency the Archbishop mentioned the prophecy that exclaims: ‘How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace!’” the Pope said. “He welcomed me with these words, and now I would like to respond: how beautiful are your feet as well, dusty from this bloodstained yet fertile land that has been mistreated, yet is rich in vegetation and fruit.”
He said that he has found the Cameroon people are the ones proclaiming peace, noting that instability “has brought Christian and Muslim communities closer than ever before.” The Pontiff expressed a desire for other countries to follow the community’s pursuit of peace, adding “woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic or political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.”
“Peace is not something we must invent: it is something we must embrace by accepting our neighbor as our brother and as our sister,” he later said. “We do not choose our brothers and sisters: we simply must accept one another! We are one family, inhabiting the same home: this wonderful planet that ancient cultures have cared for across millennia.”
Pope Leo returned to the theme of peace during his homily at the airport before his departure, highlighting how hopes “for a future of peace and reconciliation" are so often disappointed due to conflicts in Cameroon. He also urged the people of Cameroon to retain hope, saying that “the time has come” to unify the country and the continent of Africa to “create a society in which peace and reconciliation reign.”
He cautioned against caving to feelings of resignation, reminding that God’s word is transformative and healing, creating good out of confrontations with evil. The Holy Father also encouraged change, pointing to the example of the apostles, who he said courageously followed God’s voice, which marked the “first step toward changing things.”
“Those who obey God rather than human beings and earthly ways of thinking rediscover their inner freedom, succeed in discovering the value of goodness and do not resign themselves to evil,” he later added. “They find anew their way in life and become builders of peace and fraternity.”
He said that change, hope, and consolation are possible through trusting God and his word, and said, “We must, however, always keep the Apostle Peter’s exhortation in our hearts and bring it to mind: obey God, not human beings.”
The Pope concluded, “Only God sets us free; only his word opens paths to freedom; only his Spirit makes us new people capable of changing this country.”