Pope Leo XIV Urges Cameroonians to Reject Violence at Douala Mass With 120,000 Attendees

Pope Leo XIV urged Cameroonians to reject violence during an open-air Mass in the port city of Douala, where roughly 120,000 people gathered at Japoma Stadium for what multiple outlets described as the biggest event of his four-nation Africa tour.

“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 South China Morning Post said the pontiff led the Mass after arriving in Douala, Cameroon’s largest city and economic hub, by plane from the capital Yaounde, and it described believers sleeping overnight outside on mats to hear his address.

Al Jazeera

The BBC reported that “More than 120,000 people have joined Pope Leo XIV in Cameroon for an open-air Mass,” and it described worshippers camping outside the stadium on Thursday night, with some there “for more than 24 hours.”

DW similarly said the pope preached to “a cheering crowd of more than 120,000 attendees” at the Friday open-air Mass in Douala.

In his homily and remarks, Pope Leo told the crowd, “Do not give in to distrust and discouragement,” and he added, “Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives by promising easy gains but hardens the heart and makes it insensitive.”

The Vatican News account placed the Mass at Japoma Stadium with “around 120,000 faithful,” and it described the pope reflecting on Jesus’ miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes as he addressed hunger and sharing.

France 24 also tied the Mass to the pope’s broader tour themes, saying the open-air celebration drew “More than 120,000 people attended the celebration, the Vatican said based on local authority figures,” and it linked the event to his calls for peace and his clashes with US President Donald Trump.

Beyond the call to reject violence, Pope Leo XIV used the Douala Mass and his surrounding itinerary to connect peace, corruption, and technology to what he framed as threats to society.

The BBC said that after visiting the country’s Anglophone region hit by a decade-long rebellion the day before, the pope reiterated his message of peace and later warned of the dangers of artificial intelligence, which he said was leading to the spread of “polarisation, conflict, fear and violence.”

BBC

France 24 reported that at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaoundé, the pope told students that “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 quoted him adding, “In this way, polarisation, conflict, fear and violence spread.”

Vatican News described the pope’s Douala homily as centering on Jesus’ question, “Where is God in the face of people’s hunger?”, and it said Pope Leo told the crowd that “The multiplication of the loaves and the fish happened while sharing: that is the miracle!”

In that same homily, Vatican News quoted the pope warning, “Do not give in to distrust and discouragement,” and it repeated his line, “Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives by promising easy gains but hardens the heart and makes it insensitive.”

The Vatican News account also recorded the pope’s invitation to young people to “multiply your talents through faith, perseverance, and friendship,” and it urged them to be “the first faces and hands that bring the bread of life to your neighbors.”

DW added that Pope Leo spoke of conflict and greed in Africa, saying people “hunger for peace, freedom and justice,” and it described him as urging Cameroonians to be “protagonists of the future.”

Al Jazeera likewise said the pope addressed about 120,000 faithful in Douala and called on the city’s youth to reject violence and corruption to pursue the common good, quoting 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”.

The Mass unfolded under heavy security, with crowds arriving early and camping outside the stadium, while Pope Leo’s remarks also continued to draw attention from US political figures.

“Pope Leo XIV, preaching to a cheering crowd of more than 120,000 attendees at a Friday open-air mass in the Cameroon port city of Douala, continued his forceful message of peace on the second leg of his current 11-day Africa tour”

DW

The South China Morning Post said “Amid heavy security,” some believers made their way on Thursday to Japoma Stadium and “slept overnight outside on mats,” and it described streets near the stadium lined with crowds singing, dancing and holding umbrellas by Friday morning.

The BBC reported that “Some worshippers camped outside the premises on Thursday night in a bid to get a prime spot,” and it said “some having been there for more than 24 hours.”

Reuters-linked reporting in GV Wire described the experience of one participant, Kevin Kaegam, who said, “It was difficult – the cold, the mosquitoes and everything,” while adding, “But since we want to see the supreme pontiff, we had no choice.”

Multiple outlets also tied Pope Leo’s forceful speaking style to his recent clashes with US President Donald Trump, noting that the pope had drawn Trump’s ire with his anti-war comments.

The South China Morning Post said the pope “has drawn the ire of US President Donald Trump” and described him as outspoken on war and inequality, while DW said he has been pushed into the headlines by attacks from Trump and his Vice President JD Vance.

DW reported that Trump and JD Vance “have publicly lashed out at the head of the Roman Catholic Church after Leo condemned the folly of war and those who seek to misuse god to justify violence.”

Al Jazeera stated that Pope Leo’s comments critical of the war in Iran had angered Trump, who called the first US-born pontiff “weak” and “terrible for foreign policy,” and it added that Pope Leo responded that he has “no fear of the Trump administration.”

France 24 also described the pope’s broader tour as including calls against “neocolonial” world powers and it said the pope had “spat with US President Donald Trump” during his visit, while also noting Trump posted an AI-generated image portraying himself as a Christ-like figure.

In the midst of the Mass, the pope’s message remained focused on nonviolence and moral discipline, with the BBC quoting him: “Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives by promising easy gains but hardens the heart and makes it insensitive,” and it described worshippers raising their hands in prayer while some held umbrellas and books to keep cool.

Cameroonian religious leaders and participants framed the pope’s visit as a chance for renewed hope, while the pope’s own remarks targeted corruption and the handling of security.

DW quoted Archbishop of Douala Samuel Kleda as expressing hope that the visit might help resolve some of the country’s problems, saying, “Our country has gone through many crises; some crises are still ongoing. The fruit we must draw from this visit is to commit ourselves as architects of peace.”

France 24

GV Wire described Bishop Leopold Bayemi Matjei calling the visit “a moment of great joy” and said the bishop hoped it meant God would bless Cameroon, quoting him: “Our country needs a lot of blessing, a powerful blessing, so that hope will come to rise again.”

Al Jazeera also quoted Bishop Leopold Bayemi Matjei, repeating, “Our country needs a lot of blessing, a powerful blessing, so that hope will come to rise again,” and it described crowds lining the streets and wearing colourful fabrics featuring images of the pope’s face.

DW said Pope Leo’s remarks on Friday were directed at Cameroon’s youth, who face mass unemployment as the country struggles with inner conflict and entrenched power, and it described him as urging Cameroonians to be “protagonists of the future.”

In addition to the Mass, DW reported that on Thursday the pope criticized “those who, in the name of profit, continue to lay their hands on the African continent to exploit and plunder it,” and it said he urged Cameroon’s leaders to root out corruption and abuses carried out in the name of maintaining civic order.

DW also quoted the pope telling government officials, “Security is a priority, but it must always be exercised with respect for human rights,” and it placed that remark in the presence of President Paul Biya, described as a 93-year-old politician who has ruled Cameroon since 1982.

GV Wire and Al Jazeera both described the pope’s itinerary as including a visit to a Catholic hospital in Douala and a meeting in Yaounde with students at the Catholic University of Central Africa, where he spoke about AI and truth.

Across the accounts, the pope’s message combined spiritual encouragement with a direct rejection of violence and corruption, with Al Jazeera quoting his homily: “Do not forget that your people are even richer than this land, for your treasure lies in your values: faith, family, hospitality and work.”

The Mass in Douala was presented by the outlets as part of a broader 11-day Africa tour that included Algeria, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, and it was framed against Cameroon’s security challenges and political tensions.

“Pope Leo called on Cameroonians yesterday to reject violence and be generous with their neighbours during an event billed as the biggest of his four-nation Africa tour, with roughly 120,000 people flocking to a Mass he led in the port city of Douala”

Gulf Daily News

The BBC said the pope’s 11-day trip started on Monday with Algeria, and it reported that on Saturday the pope would travel in Angola and end his tour of the continent in Equatorial Guinea.

Gulf Daily News

DW described the visit as the second leg of his current 11-day Africa tour and said he was scheduled to visit a Catholic hospital in Douala Friday afternoon before returning to Yaounde to address university students and professors.

Al Jazeera said the pope’s stop in Douala followed a visit the day before to the western city of Bamenda, described as the epicentre of a nearly decade-long English-speaking separatist insurgency that has killed thousands, and it said he appealed for peace there and criticised those “who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain”.

GV Wire similarly said Cameroon faces grave security challenges, including a simmering Anglophone conflict in which thousands of people have been killed since 2017, and it described President Paul Biya as having led the country for more than four decades.

DW added that Biya’s forces violently put down demonstrations against his reelection last October, killing dozens, and it described the pope’s remarks delivered on Wednesday in the presence of Biya calling on political leaders to break “the chains of corruption” in the country.

France 24 and Al Jazeera both linked the pope’s warnings about technology and raw materials to wider stakes, with France 24 saying he condemned “the relentless pursuit of raw material and rare earths” and warning that the AI boom could spread “polarisation, conflict, fear and violence.”

In the immediate aftermath of the Mass, the Vatican News account said Pope Leo encouraged Catholics to receive the Eucharist and urged young people to “multiply your talents through faith, perseverance, and friendship,” while it also recorded his call to proclaim “the Gospel of Christ’s liberation from sin and death.”

Across the reporting, the pope’s message of rejecting violence was repeatedly paired with warnings about corruption and the dangers of simulation, with France 24 quoting him that “What is at stake is not merely the risk of error, but a transformation in our very relationship with truth.”