Now is the time to change this country, Pope preaches in Cameroon

April 16, 2026

Pope Leo XIV issued a resounding call for change during an outdoor Mass this afternoon in Bamenda, Cameroon (video).

“Brothers and sisters, there are many situations in life that break our hearts and plunge us into sorrow,” Pope Leo preached. “Our hope for a future of peace and reconciliation, in which the dignity of every human person is respected and their fundamental rights guaranteed, is continually disappointed by the many problems afflicting this beautiful land.”

“These include the numerous forms of poverty, which even recently have affected so many people amidst an ongoing food crisis,” the Pope continued. “There is moral, social and political corruption, seen above all in the management of wealth, which hinders the development of institutions and infrastructure.”

Pope Leo then called for change in a nation afflicted by conflict and pervasive corruption:

All of this can make us feel powerless and diminish our confidence. Yet this is the moment to change, to transform the story of this country. The time has come, today and not tomorrow, now and not in the future, to restore the mosaic of unity by bringing together the diversity and riches of the country and the continent. In this way, it will be possible to create a society in which peace and reconciliation reign.

Citing a passage from the first reading at Mass (Acts 5:29-30), the Pope said that “the courage of the Apostles becomes a voice of conscience, a prophecy, a denunciation of evil, and this is the first step toward changing things. In fact, obeying God is not an act of submission that oppresses us or nullifies our freedom; on the contrary, obedience to God sets us free, because it means entrusting our lives to him and allowing his word to inspire our way of thinking and acting.”

“Those who obey God rather than human beings and earthly ways of thinking rediscover their inner freedom, succeed in discovering the value of goodness and do not resign themselves to evil,” the Pope added. “They find anew their way in life and become builders of peace and fraternity.”

The Pope concluded:

Only God sets us free; only his word opens paths to freedom; only his Spirit makes us new people capable of changing this country.

I accompany you with my constant prayer and I bless in particular the Church gathered here: the many priests, missionaries, religious and lay people who all work to be a source of consolation and hope. I encourage you to continue along this path and I entrust you to the intercession of Mary Most Holy, Queen of the Apostles and Mother of the Church.

Following the Mass, Pope Leo flew back this evening to Yaoundé, the nation’s capital.

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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)

• Pope spends day in Annaba, emphasizes ‘Christians are truly born from above’

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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Further information:

• Apostolic Journey to Camerun: Holy Mass (Dicastery for Communication - Vatican Media, 4/16/26)