Pope Leo XIV Leads Open-Air Mass in Douala as 120,000 Attend

Pope Leo XIV presided over an open-air Mass in Douala, Cameroon, drawing “more than 120,000 people” for the biggest crowd so far during his “11-day Africa tour,” according to the BBC.

“Pope Leo XIV has addressed a massive crowd in Cameroon, using one of the biggest stages of his Africa tour to preach a message of justice and nonviolence”

Al Jazeera

The Mass took place at Japoma Stadium, where worshippers arrived after waiting for hours and some “camped outside the premises on Thursday night” to get a prime spot, the BBC reported.

Al Jazeera

The Vatican said the celebration drew “more than 120,000 people,” with Channel Television citing local authorities, and CNN described “local authorities estimated to be at 120,000” at the Japoma Stadium car park.

AP said the Vatican had expected “as many as 600,000” to attend, but “only around 120,000 made it,” and it placed the Mass at the “field… located well outside of town next to the Japoma sports stadium.”

Witnesses described the crowd’s atmosphere as singing and dancing, with Al Jazeera saying the homily was delivered as security was tight and that Cameroonians started filing into the Japorma stadium the day before, staying overnight.

In the middle of the celebration, the crowd chanted “Long live the pope!” as Leo arrived in a popemobile at the esplanade outside the Japoma Stadium, Channel Television reported.

AP also described an announcer shouting “Habemus Papam!” as young people ran to keep up with the popemobile as it looped through the crowds.

At Japoma Stadium in Douala, Pope Leo XIV urged Cameroonian youth to reject violence and corruption while also warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence.

Al Jazeera said the pope used the Mass to preach “justice and nonviolence,” calling on the city’s youth to “reject violence and corruption to pursue the common good,” and it quoted his homily: “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”.

AnewZ

The Vatican News report similarly quoted the pope telling worshippers, “Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives by promising easy gains but hardens the heart and makes it insensitive,” and it added that he warned, “Do not let yourselves be corrupted by temptations that waste your energies and do not serve the progress of society.”

In the same Douala homily, AP quoted Leo saying, “Africa, indeed, must be freed from the scourge of corruption,” and it also included his line that “No society, in fact, can flourish unless it is grounded in upright consciences, formed in the truth.”

Beyond corruption and violence, BBC reported that Leo later warned of AI’s role in spreading “polarisation, conflict, fear and violence,” and it quoted him explaining that “We come to live in bubbles, impermeable to one another.”

Kake’s report tied the AI warning to the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaounde, quoting the pope’s speech to teachers and students: “The challenge posed by these systems is greater than it appears: it is not just about the use of new technologies, but about the gradual replacement of reality by its simulation,” and it continued, “In this way, polarisation, conflict, fear and violence spread.”

The same Kake account quoted the pope saying, “What is at stake is not merely the risk of error, but a transformation in our very relationship with truth,” while BBC also described the pope’s framing of AI as a “transformation in our very relationship with the truth.”

In addition to peace and nonviolence, Pope Leo XIV used his Cameroon visit to press for changes tied to corruption, migration, and the distribution of wealth.

“Pope urges Africa’s youth to resist dual temptations of migration and corruption in Cameroon Pope urges Africa’s youth to resist dual temptations of migration and corruption in Cameroon DOUALA, Cameroon (AP) — Pope Leo XIV urged Cameroon’s young people on Friday to resist the temptation to migrate and instead work for the common good at home, as he called for morally upright citizens to combat corruption plaguing many African countries”

AP News

AP reported that on Friday he urged Cameroon’s young people to resist “the temptation to migrate” and instead “work for the common good at home,” while also calling for “morally upright citizens to combat corruption plaguing many African countries.”

AP said Leo highlighted “two of the big problems facing the continent” during a Mass and a meeting with students and faculty at the Catholic University of Central Africa: “the corruption that keeps countries in poverty and the brain drain of their brightest children who leave rather than fight the corruption at home.”

NBC News described the Douala Mass as the setting where Leo “openly criticize[d] the uneven distribution of wealth,” saying that “despite the richness of the land in Cameroon… many experience both material and spiritual poverty.”

NBC News also quoted Leo’s earlier warning to Biya and government authorities: “Investing in the education, training and entrepreneurship of young people is, therefore, a strategic choice for peace. It is the only way to curb the outflow of wonderful talent to other parts of the world.”

In the same NBC News account, Leo warned, “Of course, when unemployment and social exclusion persist, frustration can lead to violence,” and it tied that warning to his broader message about youth and peace.

AP provided demographic and economic context, saying Cameroon has a population of “29 million,” a median age of “18,” and that “Catholics represent about 29% of the population,” while it also cited World Bank data that “the unemployment rate in Cameroon stands at 3.5%” and that “57% of the labor force aged 18 to 35 works in informal employment.”

The Mass and the pope’s broader Cameroon tour unfolded alongside political tensions involving President Paul Biya and a public spat with US President Donald Trump.

Channel Television said the pope’s visit included “spat with US President Donald Trump,” and it described how Leo had delivered “impassioned pleas for world peace” while also “tussle with fellow American Trump” after Trump lashed out at him for calling for an end to the war in the Middle East.

BBC

Channel Television quoted Leo in Bamenda saying, “The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants,” and it also reported Trump’s response that the pope needed to understand the realities of a “nasty world.”

CNN similarly said the pope’s visit came as he faced “a series of attacks from US President Donald Trump,” and it noted Trump targeted Leo for speaking out against the war in Iran.

The Channel Television account also raised concerns about domestic politics, saying Douala had seen “a violent crackdown on demonstrations against the re-election in October” of “93-year-old President Paul Biya,” and it added that “Witnesses have reported that the security forces fired live rounds into the crowds.”

Daily Times Nigeria News likewise said Douala saw “a violent crackdown on demonstrations following the October re-election of 93-year-old President Paul Biya,” and it reported that “Security forces reportedly fired live rounds into crowds during the post-vote protests.”

AP described Biya as “93-year-old President Paul Biya” and said he “last year secured an eighth consecutive term with a disputed election,” while it placed Friday as the “half-way point in Leo’s 11-day tour of four African nations.”

Coverage of Pope Leo XIV’s Douala Mass converged on the scale of attendance but diverged in emphasis, with outlets foregrounding different themes and details.

“In Cameroon, the pope denounces the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to feed 'conflicts, fears and violence' — information provided by AFP on 17 April 2026 at 19:47”

Boursorama

BBC centered its account on the crowd’s experience and the pope’s warnings, saying “More than 120,000 people have joined Pope Leo XIV in Cameroon for an open-air Mass” and describing how the pope “warned of the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI), which he said was leading to the spread of "polarisation, conflict, fear and violence".”

Boursorama

CNN foregrounded Catholicism’s growth and poverty, saying the Mass highlighted “Catholicism’s growth in Africa” and quoting a worshipper, “We are jobless here. We study and we don’t have jobs to do.”

AP foregrounded youth and policy themes, reporting that Leo urged young people to resist “the temptation to migrate” and to combat “corruption,” while it also included the Vatican’s attendance expectation of “as many as 600,000” versus “only around 120,000.”

Channel Television emphasized the pope’s calls for peace amid global tensions and included the political context of Trump and Biya, describing his “calls for peace and spat with US President Donald Trump” and quoting Leo’s Bamenda line about “a handful of tyrants.”

Al Jazeera emphasized the homily’s moral framing and security arrangements, quoting the pope’s instruction to “Reject every form of abuse or violence” and saying “Security was tight for Friday Mass.”

Vatican News focused on the homily’s religious content, including Jesus’ “multiplication of the loaves and fishes,” and it quoted the pope’s exhortation to young people to “multiply your talents through faith, perseverance, and friendship.”