Pope Leo called on Cameroonians yesterday to reject violence and be generous with their neighbours during an event billed as the biggest of his four-nation Africa tour, with roughly 120,000 people flocking to a Mass he led in the port city of Douala.
Amid heavy security, some believers had made their way on Thursday to the city’s Japoma Stadium, venue of the Mass, and slept overnight outside on mats to hear yesterday’s address from the pontiff, who has become outspoken on war and inequality and has drawn the ire of US President Donald Trump.
After arriving in Douala, Cameroon’s largest city, by plane from the capital Yaounde, Leo told the crowd that many in the country are suffering from ‘material and spiritual poverty’ but he urged believers to reject violence as a means to get ahead, regardless of the hardships they face.
“Do not give in to distrust and discouragement,” the pope said. “Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives by promising easy gains but hardens the heart and makes it insensitive.”
In Yaounde, Leo also met students and professors at the Catholic University of Central Africa, which educates young people from across the region. He drew a loud cheer when he said the continent ‘must be freed from the scourge of corruption’.
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