YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon (RNS) — Pope Leo XIV arrived in Cameroon on Wednesday afternoon (April 15) to jubilant crowds, stepping into a country where many see his visit as far more than a pastoral journey.
For thousands of Cameroonians, especially in the English-speaking northwest, which has seen violent conflict for a decade, the pope’s presence carries the weight of something deeper: the possibility that a nation wounded by years of violence might begin, however cautiously, to imagine peace again.
The apostolic visit spanning four days, part of the pontiff’s first major African tour, comes at a rare moment. Ahead of his arrival, separatist groups operating in the northwest and southwest regions announced a three-day ceasefire to allow safe passage for pilgrims and civilians traveling to papal events in Yaoundé, Bamenda and Douala.
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For residents who have lived for nearly 10 years under the sound of gunfire, roadblocks and fear amid the ongoing violent conflict, even a brief silence has become symbolic. Since 2017, separatist fighters who declared independence from the majority French-speaking state have battled government forces in a conflict that has killed more than 6,000 people and displaced over 600,000.
“This is a moment many people here have prayed for,” said Mbah Tikum, a Catholic living in Bamenda. “For years, we have buried loved ones, fled our homes and watched our communities break apart. The pope’s coming gives people hope that peace is still possible.”
The emotional center of Pope Leo’s trip is expected to come Thursday in Bamenda, the principal city in Cameroon’s English-speaking northwest and one of the epicenters of the conflict, known as the Anglophone Crisis. The pope is expected to preside over an interfaith peace meeting bringing together a traditional Mankon chief, a Presbyterian church le …