Pope Leo says world ‘ravaged by handful of tyrants’

BAMENDA, Cameroon: Pope Pope Leo on Thursday criticised global leaders for spending billions on wars while neglecting humanitarian needs, saying the world was being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” in unusually strong remarks during a visit to Cameroon.

Speaking in Bamenda, a city in Cameroon’s anglophone region affected by a long-running separatist conflict, the first US-born pope also condemned the use of religious language to justify wars and called for a “decisive change of course” in global politics.

“The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild,” he said.

“They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found.”

The pontiff said it was “a world turned upside down” where religion was being misused for political and military gain.

“Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” he said.

Pope Leo has recently emerged as a vocal critic of the ongoing Iran war, which began with US-Israeli strikes, and has drawn criticism from US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly attacked him on social media.

Trump first criticised the pope over the weekend, calling him “weak on crime” and accusing him of poor foreign policy, before renewing his attacks earlier this week.

The Vatican has not directly responded to Trump’s remarks, but Pope Leo told Reuters earlier this week that he would continue speaking out against the war.

His comments in Cameroon also came amid renewed focus on the country’s anglophone crisis, where more than 6,500 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced since fighting began nearly a decade ago, according to conflict monitors.

Cameroon’s government has been battling separatist groups in the English-speaking northwest and southwest regions, where grievances over marginalisation have fuelled a prolonged insurgency.

The pope said he was encouraged that the conflict had not turned into a religious war and expressed hope that Christian and Muslim leaders could help mediate peace.

He also urged Cameroon’s leadership, under President Paul Biya, to tackle corruption and resist pressure from powerful interests.

Efforts to end the conflict have so far failed to produce a lasting settlement, though a separatist alliance declared a brief ceasefire during the pope’s visit to allow safe movement for civilians and visitors.

Pope Leo’s Africa tour has drawn global attention amid escalating geopolitical tensions and growing criticism of world leaders over the conduct of the Iran war and wider regional conflicts.