LAGOS (Realist English). For Mauro Rui Callado Cortêz, a Catholic layman from Angola, the unique opportunity to see Pope Leo XIV in person was unforgettable, even though a serious illness should have confined him to bed.
“My visual contact with the Holy Father was a unique moment; it transmitted such a great physical and spiritual lightness that the feeling of satisfaction doesn’t end,” Cortêz told CNN about his experience as the papal car passed by Luanda Airport.
Angola was the third stop on an 11-day tour of four African countries that has prompted wide excitement among the faithful on a continent that is home to around 20% of the world’s Catholics – but also disquiet in some quarters. Critics have voiced concern that the pope’s decision to visit Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, both governed by long‑serving leaders who maintain tight control over the Central African nations, has given tacit approval to authoritarian regimes.
The trip has been further complicated by a diplomatic dispute with the Trump administration regarding the pontiff’s stance on the Middle Eastern conflict. The pope has sought to downplay the perceived conflict, emphasising that his trip to Africa focuses on peacebuilding and that he is not seeking to “debate” the president.
In his public addresses, Leo XIV has taken a strong stance against corruption and the exploitation of Africa’s natural resources by foreign powers. He has also advocated for peace and reconciliation in areas affected by conflict. However, the optimism of many is overshadowed by the fact that the tour coincides with the first anniversary of the death of his predecessor, Pope Francis, a champion of the poor.
Cameroon: festive atmosphere, but also bitterness
In Bamenda, the epicentre of the conflict between English‑speaking separatists and the Francophone government in Cameroon, there was a festive atmosphere as the pope took part in a peace meeting and celebrated a Mass. “We want peace, that is all we want,” said Pamela Nze before the Mass. Jamconfidence Masha, a seamstress from Bamenda whose shop was destroyed during the conflict, waved a peace plant as she waited for the pope to arrive and said the pontiff was bringing a message of “love, hope and unity.”
However, Father Ludovic Lado, a priest from Cameroon, expressed concerns, shared by opposition groups, that the visit could pave the way for dynastic succession. In November 2025, he sent a letter to the pope asking him to reconsider the planned visit to the country. The Holy See acknowledged receipt of the letter, stating that it was following the situation in the country “with keen attention.”
Cameroon’s 93‑year‑old President Paul Biya had just signed a decree reinstating the position of vice president for the first time in his 43‑year rule, allowing the vice president to automatically assume the presidency if Biya were to die or become incapacitated. Biya won his eighth presidential term in October 2025, potentially allowing him to remain in power until nearly 100 years old. His re‑election sparked widespread protests, during which Cameroonian security forces reportedly killed at least 48 people.
At meetings with President Biya (in power since 1982), the pope stated that “security is a priority, but it must always be exercised with respect for human rights.” The pontiff’s trip to Bamenda, the epicentre of the Anglophone conflict that has claimed thousands of lives, became a key moment of the visit. The pope prayed for peace in the cathedral.
Politician and social activist Kah Walla expressed mixed feelings about the pope’s visit to Cameroon. “There are over 8 million Catholics in Cameroon who were ecstatic and thrilled to see their Holy Father,” she said. “But there is definitely a bitter taste for some of us when we think about how the regime will use this visit to further legitimise itself and how all the power and influence that the Pope carries might not truly improve the situation of Cameroonians who live under a very unjust system.”
Equatorial Guinea: ‘legitimising an authoritarian kleptocracy’
On Tuesday, April 21, Pope Leo XIV arrived in Equatorial Guinea, a former Spanish colony and one of the least‑visited countries in the world, where 74% of the population of nearly 2 million are Catholics. Human rights lawyer Tutu Alicante, who leads a non‑profit organisation promoting human rights and the fight against corruption in this small authoritarian state, expressed his opposition to the pontiff’s visit in an interview with CNN, saying he feared it would lend legitimacy to its leaders.
The country’s 83‑year‑old president, Teodoro Obiang, has held power for more than four decades. On the eve of the pope’s arrival, his son Teodoro, who serves as vice president, denied media reports that the government had cut civil servants’ salaries to fund preparations for the trip, dismissing the claim as “false information.” Despite its oil wealth, nearly half of Equatorial Guinea’s population lives in poverty. The government has also been mired in numerous corruption scandals. In 2021, the president’s son was sanctioned in the United Kingdom for diverting millions of dollars, which officials claimed were used to buy luxury mansions, private jets, and a $275,000 glove once worn by Michael Jackson.
“There are many other African countries that he could visit, but he is choosing to meet with two of the longest‑serving heads of state in the world,” Alicante said. “The pope is the biggest diplomatic figure in the world. His presence in any country speaks volumes.”
In his address to the authorities, the pontiff condemned the “thirst for power” and the “colonisation of mineral resources” in Africa carried out without regard for international law. Despite the political tension, the pope was enthusiastically welcomed by thousands of faithful who had waited 44 years for this moment.
Defenders of the pope: ‘Meetings with authorities are routine’
Amid the criticism, other commentators have come to the pope’s defence. Father Beltus Asanji, a communications coordinator for the Catholic Archdiocese of Bamenda, explained that “meetings with civil authorities are routine on apostolic journeys,” and 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 noted that the pope is primarily a religious authority. “If political institutions such as the UN, the European Union and the African Union, as well as numerous governments, recognise the Biya government, it is naive for people to think that a religious and moral authority like the pope can change that reality.”
Nevertheless, opposition leader Kah Walla warned that the scars from the regime’s crackdown on election‑related protests are still fresh, and 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 kind of PR campaign for the regime, and this pope’s visit is no different.”
Statistics of the Catholic population in the countries visited
| Country | Total population | Number of Catholics | Share of Catholics in population | Notes |
| 🇩🇿 Algeria | >45 million | ~9,000 | <1% | The vast majority of the population are Sunni Muslims (99%). |
| 🇨🇲 Cameroon | ~28 million | >8.3 million | ~30% | Christians make up more than 60% of the population. |
| 🇦🇴 Angola | ~35 million | ~16 million | ~45% | Second largest Catholic community in Africa after the DRC. |
| 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | ~2 million | ~1.5 million | 74 % | Former Spanish colony with deep Catholic traditions. |
Pope Leo XIV made his first apostolic visit to the African continent from April 13 to 23, 2026. This pilgrimage, which became the pontiff’s longest foreign trip, covered four countries: Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. The visit was dedicated to key themes of peace, interfaith dialogue, reconciliation and the fight against poverty, leaving a deep mark both on the lives of local Catholic communities and on the continent’s political landscape.
