Pope demands the ‘chains of corruption’ be broken as he arrives in Cameroon

YAOUNDE, Cameroon. 

Pope Leo XIV arrived Wednesday in Cameroon and delivered a masterclass on wielding authority legitimately to its 93-year-old president, Paul Biya, who consolidated his four-decade grip on power with a contested election last year that gave him an eighth term in office.

The Vatican had said fighting corruption in the mineral-rich central African country would be one of the themes of Leo’s visit, and the American pope didn’t hold back in addressing Biya and government authorities in his arrival address at the presidential palace.

“In order for peace and justice to prevail, the chains of corruption — which disfigure authority and strip it of its credibility — must be broken,” Leo said. “Hearts must be set free from an idolatrous thirst for profit.”

The president, who is the world’s oldest, sat passively as Leo read his speech in French.

Cameroonian television halted its live feed for parts of Leo’s speech, but it wasn’t clear if technical glitches were to blame.

The Vatican has made clear that Catholic social teaching disapproves of the types of authoritarian leaders that Leo is encountering on his four-nation African visit, the first to the continent by history’s first U.S.-born pope.

Biya has led Cameroon since 1982 and just Tuesday signed into law a bill that reintroduces the vice president position, a move the opposition says will further strengthen his grip on power.

Cameroon’s opposition has contested the result of the Oct. 12 election that secured the victory for Biya. His election rival Issa Tchiroma Bakary claims to have won and has called on Cameroonians to reject the official result.

Leo told Biya, Cameroon generals, diplomats and civil society representatives that Cameroon needed to take “a bold leap forward” to impose transparency in public finances and integrate civil society organizations into the fabric of daily life.

“With such a change of approach, civil society must be recognized as a vital force for national cohesion. Cameroon is ready for this transition!” Leo said. 

Young people in general, and women in particular had a vital role to play in bringing Cameroon into a new dawn, he said.