Pope Leo made a significant visit Thursday to Bamenda, the largest city in Cameroon’s violence-plagued English-speaking territory, continuing his extensive four-nation African journey while weathering continued criticism from former U.S. President Donald Trump.
The papal visit comes as Trump has repeatedly attacked Leo for his outspoken opposition to the Iran war, creating concern across Africa where over 20 percent of the world’s Catholic population resides.
Speaking to Reuters earlier this week, Leo declared he would continue voicing his concerns about the conflict and has chosen not to directly address Trump’s criticisms since making that statement.
Upon his Wednesday arrival in Cameroon’s capital city Yaounde, the pontiff challenged the Central African country’s leadership to eliminate corruption and stand against “the whims of the rich and powerful.” The nation is currently governed by 93-year-old President Paul Biya, making him the globe’s eldest head of state.
Leo’s Thursday journey to the English-speaking city of Bamenda has sparked cautious optimism that progress might be made toward resolving the regional violence, which stems from the nation’s complicated colonial past and its aftermath.
The territory that is now Cameroon was originally under German control before being divided between British and French administration following the First World War. The French-controlled section gained independence in 1960, with the smaller English-speaking western region joining the following year.
Fighting between government troops and English-speaking separatist organizations has resulted in more than 6,500 deaths and forced over half a million people from their homes, data from the International Crisis Group shows.
Religious leaders have become frequent targets, with priests regularly taken hostage for money and some murdered. A separatist coalition announced it would implement a three-day halt to hostilities, allowing civilians and visitors safe passage during the papal visit.
President Biya has not made any trips to the English-speaking regions since the violence started.
Previous attempts at negotiating peace have yielded minimal results, though Leo expressed encouragement Thursday that the crisis “has not degenerated into a religious war” and voiced optimism that Christian and Muslim leaders might help broker an end to the bloodshed.
