BAMENDA, Cameroon: Pope Leo has warned that the world is being ravaged by “tyrants”, delivering a forceful message during a visit to Cameroon as tensions with United States President Donald Trump intensified over the war with Iran.
The pope, who has emerged as a strong critic of the conflict, used his speech to call for peace and rebuke leaders who invoke religion to justify war.
“The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters,” Leo said during an address in Bamenda, Cameroon’s largest city, on Thursday.
Later in the day, Trump appeared to play down the dispute, telling reporters he has “a right to disagree with the pope.”
“The pope made a statement. He says Iran can have a nuclear weapon. I say Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
The pope had arrived in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde, on Wednesday as part of a four-country tour of Africa. Upon arrival, he urged authorities to tackle corruption amid an ongoing conflict between government forces and Anglophone separatist groups.
On Thursday, he travelled to Bamenda, where thousands gathered to welcome him as he moved through the city in the popemobile, with many waving “peace branches”.
Among them was Jamconfidence Masha, a clothes maker whose shop was destroyed during the conflict. She said the pope was bringing a message of “love, hope, and unity”.
Bamenda holds particular significance as the epicentre of a long-running civil conflict that has left more than 65,000 people dead and displaced over half a million others.
During his visit, the pope listened to testimonies from those affected by the violence, including nuns who had been kidnapped.
In his speech, Leo also condemned those who “manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.”
He further criticised the exploitation of Africa’s resources, warning that profits are often channelled into conflict.
“Those who rob your land of its resources generally invest much of the profit in weapons, thus perpetuating an endless cycle of destabilization and death,” he said.
Trump had earlier criticised the pope, denouncing his stance on the Iran war and calling him “terrible for foreign policy”.
“We don’t like a pope that’s going to say that it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon. … He’s a man that doesn’t think that we should be toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon so they can blow up the world,” Trump told reporters.
“I’m not a fan of Pope Leo.”
Responding earlier this week, Leo said his remarks were not intended as personal attacks.
Trump later insisted there was no ongoing dispute, saying he was not “fighting” with the pope and that the pontiff was free to express his views.
