Bamenda —
Pope Leo has warned that the world is being ravaged by “tyrants” in strong comments after US President Donald Trump criticized the pope’s stance on war with Iran.
Leo has emerged as a strong critic of the conflict, again preaching a message of peace in his speeches and rebuking leaders who use religious language to justify war.
“The world is ravaged by a handful of tyrants, but it is held together by a large group of cooperative brothers and sisters,” Leo said in a speech Thursday during a visit to Bamenda, Cameroon’s largest city.
The Pope arrived in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, on Wednesday, the last stop on a four-country tour of Africa. Upon arrival, he appealed to the country’s government to stamp out corruption amid conflict between government forces and English-speaking separatist groups.
The pope visited Bamenda on Thursday, where he was greeted by thousands of people as he arrived in his papal van, waving many “branches of peace.” Among the crowd was Jamconfidence Masha, a clothing manufacturer from Bamenda whose shop was destroyed in the conflict. She said the pope conveys a message of “love, hope and unity.”
Location selection is important. Bamenda is the epicenter of a bloody civil war that has left more than 65,000 dead and more than 500,000 displaced.
The Pope heard a series of testimonies from those caught up in the crisis, including the abducted nuns.
See in photos: Pope Leo’s visit to Africa
In his speech, the Pope also condemned those who “manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political interests, dragging what is sacred into darkness and filth.”
Regarding the exploitation of Africa’s resources, the Pope also felt powerful in his choice of words. “Those who take your land’s resources typically invest much of their profits in weapons, thereby perpetuating a never-ending cycle of destabilization and death,” he said.
“This is a world turned upside down, an exploitation of God’s creation, and must be condemned and rejected by every honest conscience.”
President Trump launched an attack on Leo on Sunday night, criticizing his stance on the Iran war and calling him “terrible at foreign policy.”
President Trump told reporters, “I don’t like a pope who says it’s okay to have nuclear weapons…He’s someone who thinks we shouldn’t play with countries that want nuclear weapons to blow up the world,” adding, “I’m not a fan of Pope Leo.”
Leo later responded on Monday’s flight, saying, “I don’t mean anything I say to attack anyone,” but added, “I’m not afraid to speak out loud about the Trump administration or the message of the gospel.”
