Leo and 'the tyrants': Does new pope's defiant message resonate?

About this episode

The episode discusses Pope Leo XIV's visit to Cameroon and his messages regarding political leaders and the role of the Church in a conflict-ridden nation.

The new US-born pope is on his first-ever visit to Cameroon's restive English-speaking northwest, and he's not turning the other cheek. "Blessed are the peacemakers! But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth," Pope Leo XIV declared on Thursday in Bamenda. Read more Pope Leo blasts 'handful of tyrants' ravaging world during Cameroon visit The message was the same when he landed on Wednesday in Yaoundé and while it may sound like a rebuttal to a critical US president who's an ocean away, it's also first a pointed message to the leader in the room hosting Leo : 93-year-old Paul Biya , only the second head of state Cameroon has known since independence from France in 1960. We ask our panel what makes the Bamenda leg of the pope's four-nation tour of Africa historic, about the separatist rebels who called a four-day truce during the visit, and how the Church can help in a nation where half the population is under 18 and whose politics can feel like a ticking time bomb, with zero visibility surrounding Biya's succession. We also ask how, less than a year…

Topics covered

• Pope's visit
• Cameroon politics
• religion and politics
• separatist conflict
• youth demographics
• Church's role in society

Keywords

• Pope Leo XIV
• Cameroon
• Paul Biya
• Donald Trump
• separatist rebels
• youth
• political gain
• religion
• Church

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Catholic Church

Places: Cameroon, Bamenda, Yaoundé

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