Pope Leo XIV says goodbye to Cameroon, concluding the second leg of his Apostolic Journey, and arrives in Angola, where he urges authorities to “place the common good before particular interests".
By Claudia Torres - Angola Pope Leo XIV has concluded the second leg of his Apostolic Journey in Africa, which is taking him through four countries from 13 to 23 April. A fond farewell Before leaving Cameroon on Saturday morning, 18 April, he celebrated Holy Mass with some 200,000 people gathered at Yaoundé-Ville Airport. Some had arrived the previous evening for a prayer vigil, prepared with mattresses and food so they could camp out until the Pope’s arrival. The Mass was a festive conclusion to the Holy Father’s public events in the country. It wove together various elements of Cameroon’s cultural and linguistic diversity – from the music to the prayers of the faithful, which were read in French, English, Ewondo, Nnanga and Fulfulde. In his homily, the Holy Father urged the faithful not to be afraid “to confront problems and challenges –– particularly those associated with poverty and justice”. At times, he noted, “family and societal life require the courage to change mindsets and structures, so that the dignity of the human person may always remain the primary focus and so that inequality and marginalization may be overcome”. He stressed that “everyone can give and receive assistance according to their own capacity and needs”. The Church in Cameroon, he said, “is alive, young, blessed with gifts and enthusiasm, energetic in its variety and magnificent in its harmony”. After the liturgy, the Holy Father travelled to Yaoundé-Nsimalen International Airport for a short farewell ceremony, then took the two-and-a-half-hour flight to Angola. Speaking to journalists on the papal plane, he reminded them that he was in Africa primarily as a pastor, “as the head of the Catholic Church, to be with, to celebrate with, to encourage and accompany all of the Catholics throughout Africa”. He also expressed gratitude to the people of Cameroon “for the wonderful welcome, the great enthusiasm”, and their joy. Angola welcomes the Holy Father The Pope arrived at 4 de Fevereiro International Airport in Luanda in the afternoon. Lively crowds lined the streets to welcome the Holy Father as he made his way to the Presidential Palace for a private courtesy meeting with the President of the Republic of Angola, João Lourenço. After their conversation, the Pope met with Angola’s authorities, representatives of civil society and the diplomatic corps at a nearby pavilion typically used for similar events. In his address, the Pope spoke of “the material riches upon which powerful interests lay their claim”, in Angola and other African countries. “How much suffering, how many deaths, how many social and environmental disasters are brought about by this logic of extractivism!”, he said. “At every level, we see how it sustains a model of development that discriminates and excludes, while still presuming to impose itself as the only viable option”. The Pope therefore encouraged those gathered to “make Angola a project of hope”, together. After his meeting with the authorities, the Pope travelled to the Apostolic Nunciature in Luanda, where he held a private meeting with the Bishops of Angola.