James O'Reilly
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its main economic center. Although the country’s political capital is Yaoundé, Douala is where most of the commercial and industrial activity happens.
These among other reasons are why Pope Leo XIV took advantage of his Cameroon visit to go there. He celebrated Mass at the Japoma Stadium, one of the city’s main soccer stadiums. During his homily for the Mass, he addressed the faithful with words about humanity’s greatest need.
POPE LEO XIV
Every gesture of solidarity and forgiveness, every initiative for good is a morsel of bread for a humanity in need of care. And yet, this is not enough. To the food that nourishes the body, we must also add, with the same charity, the food of the soul, which nourishes our conscience and sustains us in the dark hours of fear, in the darkness of suffering.
Poverty in Cameroon is a structural and chronic problem: the World Bank estimates that approximately 38% of the population falls below the minimum income level required to meet basic needs, such as food, shelter, and clothing. Because of this, Pope Leo's words here take on special significance:
POPE LEO XIV
Despite the richness of the land in Cameroon, many experience both material and spiritual poverty. Do not give in to distrust and discouragement. Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives by promising easy gains but hardens the heart and makes it insensitive
The pontiff’s visit to Douala was brief—he will spend his final moments in Cameroon at the capital. On Saturday, April 18, he will head to the third country of his African tour: Angola, which was visited by his predecessors Pope St. John Paul II in 1992 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.
