Pope Leo in Cameroon for peace,meets world’s oldest ruler Paul Biya

Yaoundé, Cameroon — Criticised by U.S. President Donald Trump for what he called “weak” stances on crime and foreign policy, Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Cameroon on a mission of peace, with high‑stakes talks expected with Africa’s longest‑serving president, 93‑year‑old Paul Biya.

The visit marks a key leg of the Pope’s four‑nation tour of Africa, timed against the backdrop of a simmering separatist conflict in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions and a bitterly contested October 2025 presidential election that extended Biya’s rule well into his 90s.

Historic meeting at the palace

Pope Leo was welcomed at Yaoundé‑Nsimalen International Airport before proceeding to the Presidential Palace for a formal courtesy meeting with President Biya, who has led the Central African nation since 1982. The encounter, televised across the country, was framed by Vatican officials and the Cameroonian government as a moment of dialogue on national unity, interfaith harmony, and the role of religion in public life.

During the talks, the Pope pressed for inclusive dialogue in the two Anglophone regions, where an armed insurgency has claimed thousands of lives since 2017. He also urged the release of detained political opponents and called for transparency in recent electoral disputes, an indirect rebuke to Biya’s re‑election that opposition groups have branded fraudulent.

Peace mission in conflict zones

On Thursday, the pontiff is scheduled to lead a peace gathering in Bamenda, a major hub in the Anglophone crisis, where he will meet community leaders, clergy, and victims of the violence. He will also celebrate Mass at the city’s airport, transforming the liturgical event into a symbolic appeal for reconciliation between the French‑ and English‑speaking regions.

Catholic Church officials say Pope Leo’s message will centre on “non‑violence, forgiveness, and the dignity of the human person,” echoing his broader African‑tour theme of “peace amid division.” Human‑rights groups, however, warn that the visit risks being co‑opted as a show of support for the Biya government, which they accuse of excessive force and systematic suppression of dissent.

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Trump’s barbs and global attention

The Pope’s Cameroon visit comes days after President Donald Trump publicly lambasted him as “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy” in a lengthy social‑media post that drew sharp rebukes from U.S. Catholic leaders and several Democratic lawmakers. Trump insisted he would not apologise, arguing that the pontiff had “said things that are wrong.”

Analysts say the clash has amplified media attention on Pope Leo’s Africa tour, turning each stop into a geopolitical vignette where the Vatican’s soft‑power diplomacy intersects with hard‑nosed electoral politics and armed conflict. In Cameroon, people on both sides of the Anglophone divide are watching closely to see whether the Pope’s words translate into tangible pressure for negotiations or remain a largely symbolic gesture.