DOUALA (Realist English). Pope Leo XIV has celebrated the largest Mass of his African tour — more than 100,000 people gathered for the liturgy in the Cameroonian city of Douala. Local authorities estimated the number of faithful at 120,000.
A vast crowd filled the car park of the Japoma Stadium, greeting the American pontiff with singing and dancing, holding up welcome banners and waving Vatican flags. Many had been in place for hours to secure a spot for the vibrant liturgy, which was interspersed with music from a local choir.
The Pope’s visit to Cameroon is part of his 10-day tour of Africa. For a country where around 37.7 million people live in poverty and which has suffered internal conflict, the event provided a powerful spiritual boost.
“Having him here, I feel like I’m being blessed,” said a young woman in the crowd, Fola Norn. “We are jobless here. We study and we don’t have jobs to do.”
Call to reject violence and corruption
In his homily, the Pope addressed Cameroon’s problems.
“Despite the richness of the land in Cameroon, many experience both material and spiritual poverty,” the pontiff said. “Do not forget that your people are even richer than this land, for your treasure lies in your values: faith, family, hospitality and work.”
In the face of poverty, Leo urged Cameroonians to “reject every form of abuse or violence,” while warning against being “corrupted by temptations that waste your energies and do not serve the progress of society.”
Africa — a growing bastion of Catholicism
The huge crowd underlines the growth of Catholicism in Africa. Believers on the continent now account for roughly 20% of the global Catholic population. Around 30% of Cameroon’s population are Catholic. The Church in the country is a major provider of education and healthcare, and supports civil society. Its presence is felt strongly in parts of the country where state infrastructure is limited.
Peace mission in the anglophone enclave
Leo’s visit to Douala, the French-speaking part of Cameroon and its economic hub, came the day after his trip to Bamenda, the epicentre of the country’s anglophone crisis. Cameroon has suffered for years from a conflict between English-speaking separatists and the Francophone government.
On April 16, the Pope took part in a peace meeting in Bamenda. He delivered his homily in both English and French.
Criticism of Trump and “tyrants”
The pontiff continues to face attacks from US President Donald Trump, who has criticised Leo for speaking out against the war with Iran. The Pope insists he is not afraid of the US administration and will continue to speak the truth.
In Bamenda on April 16, Leo said the world was being “ravaged by a few tyrants” and criticised those who 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.”
| Indicator | Data | Period / Source |
| Total number of Catholics in Africa | Approx. 290 million | 2026 |
| Growth dynamics | From 272 million (2022) to 281 million (2023) → growth of +3.31% | 2022–2023 |
| Share of global Catholic population | 20.3% (one in five Catholics in the world is African) | 2026 |
| Number of priests in Africa | 50,000 | 2025 |
| Share of global priesthood | 13.5% | 2025 |
In Africa, the Pope seems at ease and has been speaking in a more impassioned way than previously in his pontificate. On Saturday, April 18, the pontiff heads to Angola — the third stop on his four-country tour of Africa, the longest of his pontificate.
Africa is the only continent where the Church is showing steady growth across almost all key indicators.
Growth in the number of believers: While in Europe the growth in the number of Catholics in recent years has been just +0.2%, Africa shows an impressive +3.31%. For comparison, in 2025 the increase in Africa was 8.3 million people, significantly higher than in other regions of the world.
Explosive growth in the number of priests and seminarians: Unlike Europe and America, which are experiencing an ageing and shortage of clergy, in Africa: the number of priests grew by +2.7% (worldwide there was a slight decline). One in three seminarians in the world today is African. In 2025, their number grew by +1.1%, exceeding 34,000. This ensures that the Church on the continent will only strengthen.
A personnel reserve for the whole world: Due to an excess of priests, the African Church is already becoming an “exporter” of personnel, sending its missionaries to ageing parishes in Europe and North America. This strengthens the influence of the African clergy in the global church hierarchy.
