Pope Leon XIV in Bamenda (Cameroon), April 16, 2026. GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE/REUTERS
As soon as the pope entered the Saint-Joseph Cathedral in Bamenda, the capital of Cameroon's Anglophone Northwest Region, on Thursday, April 16, the hall erupted in a chorus of singing and applause. Swiss Guards and members of the Vatican Gendarmerie, who accompany Leo XIV on all his trips, struggled to keep particularly devoted women from getting too close to the pontiff. On the fabric of their skirts, they had printed images of Christ or photos of the pope.
Pope Leo appeared to savor this special moment of his ten-day trip through four African countries from April 13-23. After a stop in Algeria, his arrival in Bamenda on Thursday, the second day of his visit to Cameroon, was marked by a massive turnout. Thousands lined the road between the airport and the city, which has a population of 500,000.
On Thursday morning, Leo chose to lead a prayer for peace in one of the capitals of the country's Anglophone region, where the two constituent regions, Northwest and Southwest, have been enduring fighting between separatists from the Anglophone minority (about 20% of the population) and government armed forces since the end of 2016. The harsh repression has plunged both the Northwest and Southwest into a conflict that has claimed more than 6,000 lives. Killings and kidnappings for ransom continue amid the near-total indifference of the international community.
