Pope Leo XIV concluded a controversial 11-day, four-nation African tour this week, facing criticism for visits to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, nations led by long-serving authoritarian presidents. Critics, including human rights lawyer Tutu Alicante, argue these visits lend undue legitimacy to regimes accused of corruption and human rights abuses. The tour also saw diplomatic friction with the Trump administration over Middle Eastern policy.
The pontiff’s extensive tour, which began April 13 in Algeria, traversed the continent, drawing immense crowds of faithful. In Douala, Cameroon, over 100,000 people gathered for a Mass. An estimated 130,000 attended two events in Angola.
Such numbers underscore the deep spiritual connection many African Catholics feel towards the Holy See. However, the itinerary choices for the latter half of the journey have drawn sharp scrutiny from political observers and human rights advocates. Angola, the third stop, holds significant Catholic heritage, tracing back to European colonial eras.
Mauro Rui Callado Cortêz, a 44-year-old Catholic teacher in Angola, described his visual contact with the Holy Father as a “unique moment” that transmitted “great physical and spiritual lightness,” CNN reported. Cortêz, who witnessed previous papal visits in 1992 and 2009, viewed Leo’s presence as “a great blessing” for the nation, which emerged from a nearly three-decade war in 2002. The pontiff urged the nation to move past its longstanding divisions.
Two days earlier, on April 15, Leo arrived in Cameroon at a politically charged moment. President Paul Biya, 93, who has governed for 43 years, had recently signed a decree reinstating the vice president position. This legislation, approved by parliament about 10 days before the pope’s arrival, allows the vice president to automatically assume the presidency if Biya dies or becomes incapacitated.
Father Ludovic Lado, a Cameroonian priest, expressed apprehension, shared by opposition groups, that this move could facilitate dynastic succession. He wrote to the pope in November, asking him to reconsider his visit, a concern the Holy See acknowledged, according to a letter Lado posted on Facebook. Biya secured his eighth presidential term in October, a victory that could keep him in power until he is nearly 100 years old.
His re-election triggered widespread protests, during which Cameroonian security forces reportedly killed at least 48 people. Opponents of the regime claimed the election was fraudulent. Cameroon’s Constitutional Council, however, dismissed these petitions, citing a lack of evidence. "The Central African region the pope is visiting includes some of the most entrenched and authoritarian political systems," Lado told CNN. "Cameroon is a clear illustration of this reality, with a troubling record in matters of governance and human rights."
On Tuesday, the pontiff landed in Equatorial Guinea, a former Spanish colony where 74% of the population identifies as Catholic. The nation’s 83-year-old president, Teodoro Obiang, has held power for over four decades. Tutu Alicante, a human rights lawyer leading a nonprofit focused on human rights and anti-corruption in the nation, opposed the visit.
He feared it would legitimize its leaders. Here is what they are not telling you: The political calculus in such visits often extends beyond spiritual outreach. Obiang’s son, Vice President Teodoro Obiang Jr., denied media reports alleging salary cuts for civil servants to fund the papal visit, dismissing them as “false information.” Despite its oil wealth, nearly half of Equatorial Guinea’s almost 2 million people live in poverty.
The government has faced numerous corruption scandals. In 2021, the United Kingdom sanctioned Obiang Jr. for diverting millions of dollars, which officials claimed funded luxury mansions, private jets, and a $275,000 glove once worn by Michael Jackson. The math does not add up for the average citizen in such a system.
He was tried in absentia in France the previous year, receiving a three-year suspended sentence and a fine exceeding $30 million for embezzlement. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing. "There are many other African countries that he could go to," Alicante told CNN, referring to Pope Leo XIV. "But he is choosing to meet with two of the longest serving heads of state in the world. The pope is the biggest diplomatic figure in the world.
His presence in any country speaks volumes about what the Catholic Church believes." Follow the leverage, not the rhetoric, when assessing these high-level engagements. Throughout his tour, Leo consistently spoke out against corruption. At the Presidential Palace in Yaoundé, in front of President Biya, he emphasized that “In order for peace and justice to prevail, the chains of corruption— which disfigure authority and strip it of its credibility — must be broken.” He also addressed the ongoing conflict in Cameroon between the Francophone government and English-speaking separatists, a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives over the past decade.
Jesuit priest Lado observed that the pope’s message to Cameroonian authorities, while “encouraging,” was nonetheless ignored. “We are dealing with a particularly shrewd regime,” he stated. Kah Walla, a politician and social activist, shared the mixed sentiments surrounding the papal visit to Cameroon. “There are over 8 million Catholics in Cameroon who were ecstatic and thrilled to see their Holy Father,” she told CNN. “But there is definitely a bitter taste for some of us when we think about how the regime will use this visit to further legitimize itself and how all of the power and influence that the Pope carries might not truly improve the situation of Cameroonians who live under a very unjust system.” The optics are clear. Amid the scrutiny of Leo’s inclusion of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, other commentators defended his actions.
Father Beltus Asanji, a communications coordinator for the Catholic Archdiocese of Bamenda, the epicenter of Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis, told CNN that the purpose of the pope’s travels was to connect with local churches and share a message of peace, reconciliation, and human dignity. He explained that “meetings with civil authorities are routine on apostolic journeys,” and noted that the pope’s meeting with Biya aligns with the Vatican’s principle of engaging in dialogue without political bias. “The Holy See has repeatedly stated that such encounters do not imply moral judgment on a leader’s tenure or policies,” Asanji said. Cameroonian political analyst Collins Molua Ikome highlighted the pope’s primary role as a religious authority. “If political institutions such as the United Nations, European Union and African Union, as well as numerous governments, recognize the Biya government, it is naive for people to think that a religious and moral authority like the pope can change that reality,” he said.
Ikome viewed the pope’s visit as symbolic, noting that Biya had invested in significant infrastructure projects in Bamenda, including renovating its airport, in preparation for the visit. This could be positive for local residents. “One of the main catalysts for the Anglophone crisis is the perceived underdevelopment of the Anglophone regions,” Ikome added. However, Walla, leader of the opposition Cameroon People’s Party, cautioned that the scars from the regime’s crackdown on election-related protests remain fresh.
She argued that a high-profile visit of this kind could send misleading signals. “Right now, there are banners with pictures of Pope Leo and Paul Biya all over the major cities of Cameroon. The regime is spinning this as to say that after the horrible election, marked by deaths and arrests, we are legitimate, we are being visited by the pope,” she said. “Every visit of a dignitary is turned into a type of PR campaign for the regime, and this pope’s visit is no different.”
Beyond Africa, the tour encountered diplomatic turbulence with the Trump administration over the pope's stance on the Middle Eastern conflict. Pope Leo XIV sought to downplay the perceived conflict, emphasizing that his trip to Africa focused on peacebuilding and that he was not seeking to “debate” the president. Even Catholic Trump supporters expressed feeling conflicted over the president’s public disagreement with the pontiff.
This adds another layer of complexity to the Vatican’s global diplomatic strategy. The Holy See must navigate both internal faith dynamics and external political pressures. Key Takeaways: - Pope Leo XIV's Africa tour garnered immense popular support among Catholics but drew strong criticism for visits to authoritarian states. - Human rights advocates argue these visits inadvertently legitimize regimes accused of corruption and abuses. - The Vatican maintains that papal visits are spiritual and do not imply political endorsement of leaders or policies. - The tour highlighted the tension between the Holy See's moral authority and the pragmatic realities of international diplomacy.
Looking ahead, the Vatican will likely continue its strategy of engagement, balancing spiritual outreach with geopolitical considerations. Observers will watch for any shifts in the diplomatic posture of the host nations, particularly Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, as their leaders seek to leverage the papal visit for internal and external legitimacy. The long-term impact on human rights movements within these countries, and the church's perceived role in their struggles, remains a critical point of focus.
Key Takeaways
— - Pope Leo XIV's Africa tour garnered immense popular support among Catholics but drew strong criticism for visits to authoritarian states.
— - Human rights advocates argue these visits inadvertently legitimize regimes accused of corruption and abuses.
— - The Vatican maintains that papal visits are spiritual and do not imply political endorsement of leaders or policies.
— - The tour highlighted the tension between the Holy See's moral authority and the pragmatic realities of international diplomacy.
Source: CNN
