Pope demands the ‘chains of corruption’ be broken as he arrives in Cameroon

YAOUNDE, Cameroon. (AP) - Pope Leo XIV arrived Wednesday in the central African nation of Cameroon with a message of peace for its separatist region and for talks with President Paul Biya, the 93-year-old leader whose grip on power was extended for an eighth term in a widely disputed election last year.

Cheering Cameroonians lined the road into the capital Yaounde from the airport, two and three deep in places, dancing and waving palm fronds as the pope's motorcade whizzed by. Many women dressed in identical bright dresses and stood behind banners announcing the name of their parish, while billboards splashed posters of the pope and Biya under the banner "Land of Hope."

The Vatican says fighting corruption in the mineral-rich country and insisting on the correct uses of political authority are expected to be themes of Leo's visit. Leo was traveling from Algeria, the first stop on his four-nation Africa tour.

The Vatican has made clear that Catholic social teaching disapproves of the types of authoritarian leaders that Leo is encountering on his visit, the first to the continent by history's first U.S.-born pope.

Biya is the world's oldest leader and has led Cameroon since 1982.

Leo was meeting with Biya upon arrival at the presidential palace in Yaounde. He'll then address government authorities, civil service representatives and diplomats before visiting an orphanage run by a Catholic religious order of nuns.

Cameroon authorities made a last-minute change to the program, the Vatican said. Biya, and not the prime minister, will deliver a speech before Leo addresses authorities and the encounter will occur in the presidential palace, not a conference center.

Cameroon's opposition has contested the result of the Oct. 12 election. Biya's election rival, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, claims to have won and has called on Cameroonians to reject the official result.

Just this week, Leo issued an unrelated message on the correct role of political leaders and the need for "authentic democracy" to legitimize their authority and act as a "guardrail against the abuse of power."

In a message to a Vatican academy for social science, Leo wrote that democracy remains healthy only when it is driven by morality and a vision of humanity that respects the dignity of everyone.

"Lacking this foundation, it risks becoming either a majoritarian tyranny or a mask for the dominance of economic and technological elites," he warned in a message that wasn't directed at any particular nation or leader and was dated April 1.

Gerald Mambeh, a teacher in Yaounde, said the pope's visit needs to spark genuine dialogue and accountability to achieve lasting peace.

"This visit feels like light entering a dark room... but peace will not come from symbolism alone," said Mambeh, a Catholic. "In a country where many feel abandoned, his presence feels like God has not forgotten us. Let the pope hear this beyond the politics: Cameroonians are not asking for miracles, we are asking for fairness, dignity, and a future."

Leo has two major events in Cameroon, with the highlight a "peace meeting" on Thursday in Cameroon's northwest city of Bamenda, which has been plagued by separatist violence.

English-speaking separatists launched a rebellion in 2017 with the stated goal of breaking away from Cameroon's French-speaking majority and establishing an independent state. The conflict has killed more than 6,000 people and displaced over 600,000 others, according to the International Crisis Group, a think tank.

On the eve of Leo's arrival, the English-speaking separatists announced a three-day pause in fighting to allow "safe travel" for his visit.

The Unity Alliance, which includes several separatist groups, said in a statement Monday the pause reflects the "profound spiritual importance" of the visit and is intended to allow civilians, pilgrims and dignitaries to travel safely.

Leo's other big event in Cameroon, where about 29% of the population is Catholic, is a Mass on Friday in the city of Douala, where some 600,000 people are expected to turn out.

On Saturday, Leo heads to Angola for the third leg of his trip, which ends next week in Equatorial Guinea.