‘Jesus cares especially for children like you,’ Pope tells orphans in Cameroon
April 15, 2026
Pope Leo XIV visited an orphanage in Cameroon’s capital this evening (video) and told the children that “Jesus cares especially for children like you.”
“Here, above all, it is our Heavenly Father who welcomes you with love as his children,” Pope Leo said at Ngul Zamba Orphanage in Yaoundé. “He wants to show you his tenderness and to draw you close to his heart. In his name, I too wish to do the same.”
“Indeed, you form a true family here, with brothers and sisters who all share a similar history marked by suffering,” the Pope continued. “In this family, your eldest brother is Jesus! It is living as brothers and sisters gathered around him that makes you strong, helps you to carry life’s burdens together and allows you to experience true joy.”
Pope Leo added:
Dear children, I know that many of you have endured difficult trials. Some of you have known the pain of loss through the death of parents or loved ones. Others have experienced fear, rejection, abandonment, deprivation and uncertainty. Yet, you are called to a future that is greater than your wounds. You are bearers of a promise.
For wherever there is misery, suffering or injustice, God is present; and he knows each of your faces and is very close to you. The Gospel reminds us that Jesus cares especially for children like you, and he would often place them at the center of a gathering. Know that he looks upon each one of you today with that same affection.
The Pontiff also thanked the religious sisters and the laity who care for the orphans:
Your faithful dedication is a beautiful testimony of love. By caring for these children, you are getting a foretaste of the joy that the Lord has promised to those who serve the little ones (cf. Mt 25:40).
Your patience reflects the face of divine mercy. Through your patience and dedication, you offer much more than mere material support: you offer these children a presence, a listening ear, a family and a future.
Through you, God’s tenderness is made manifest—a faithful tenderness that does not falter in times of trial and never disappoints. I thank you for all that you do, and I encourage you to persevere courageously in this beautiful work that you have undertaken.
The Pope’s visit to the orphanage was the last public event of the day. Following the visit, the Pontiff held a private meeting with the nation’s bishops at the headquarters of the episcopal conference.
CWN coverage of Pope Leo’s apostolic journey to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea:
Day 1 (April 13)
- Pope departs for Africa
- Pope Leo: ‘I have no fear of the Trump administration’
- I am ‘very happy’ to visit the land of St. Augustine, Pope says on flight to Algeria
- ‘The future belongs to men and women of peace,’ Pope says in first Algerian address
- Pope calls on Algeria’s leaders to promote ‘vibrant, dynamic, and free civil society’
- Pope visits Great Mosque of Algiers, recalls St. Augustine’s search for truth
- Pope emphasizes prayer, charity, unity in address to Algerian Catholics
Day 2 (April 14)
Day 3 (April 15)
- Pope bids farewell to Algeria, departs for Cameroon
- Pope, in remarks to journalists, highlights importance, relevance of St. Augustine
- Pope calls on Cameroon to embrace peace, break chains of corruption
- ‘Jesus cares especially for children like you,’ Pope tells orphans in Cameroon
Day 4 (April 16)
- Pope hails peacemaking efforts of Christian, Muslim leaders in Cameroon
- Now is the time to change this country, Pope preaches in Cameroon
- Pope meets with several Muslim leaders in Cameroon
Day 5 (April 17)
- ‘Bring the bread of life to your neighbors,’ Pope preaches in Cameroon’s largest city
- Societies flourish on the foundation of upright consciences that seek the truth, Pope tells university students
Day 6 (April 18)
- Draw near to the suffering and the poor, as Jesus did, Pope preaches at final Cameroon Mass
- Pope Leo departs from Cameroon, says his remarks there did not refer to President Trump
- Pope hails joy of Angola’s people, denounces extractivism
Day 7 (April 19)
- Pope, at Mass in Angola, warns faithful against syncretism, encourages them to ‘become like broken bread’
- Pope renews call for peace in Ukraine, Middle East
- May the Mother of the Heart make our hearts like hers, Pope says at Rosary in Angola
Day 8 (April 20)
- Pope flies to remote Angolan city, visits nursing home
- Reject superstition and follow Christ in freedom, Pope preaches at Mass in Angola
- ‘The first path is fidelity to Christ,’ Pope tells Angola’s priests and religious
Day 9 (April 21)
- Pope departs from Angola, heads to Equatorial Guinea
- Addressing journalists, Pope Leo recalls Pope Francis, says no date set to name new cardinals
- Serve the city of God and not love of self, Pope exhorts Equatorial Guinea’s leaders
- In Christ, the harmony between truth, reason, and freedom is manifest, Pope tells university community
- In Christian civilization, the sick are loved, Pope says at psychiatric hospital
Day 10 (April 22)
- Pope emphasizes the Eucharist and evangelization at Mass in Equatorial Guinea
- Pope tells prisoners: ‘No one is excluded from God’s love!’
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