Pope Leo XIV in Cameroon says ‘the time has come’ to rebuild peace

BAMENDA, Cameroon — Despite bad weather, at least 20,000 people gathered on the runways of Bamenda International Airport on Wednesday to take part in the Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV, concluding the second day of the pontiff’s visit to Cameroon.

In his homily, Pope Leo praised the faith of the local Church, saying: “The festive celebrations that accompany your liturgies and the joy that flows from the prayers you raise are signs of your trusting surrender to God, of your unshakeable hope and of your clinging, with all your strength, to the love of the Father who draws near and looks with compassion upon the sufferings of his children.”

Quoting Psalm 34, the pope reminded the crowd that “the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

He then turned to the wounds afflicting the country and the region.

“Brothers and sisters, there are many situations in life that break our hearts and plunge us into sorrow,” Leo said. “Our hope for a future of peace and reconciliation, in which the dignity of every person is respected and their fundamental rights guaranteed, is continually disappointed by the many problems afflicting this beautiful land.”

The pope pointed to “the numerous forms of poverty,” including an ongoing food crisis, as well as “moral, social, and political corruption, seen above all in the management of wealth, which hinders the development of institutions and infrastructure.”

He also cited “the serious problems affecting the education and health care systems, as well as large-scale migration to foreign countries, particularly of young people.”

“Added to these internal problems, which are often fueled by hatred and violence, is the damage caused from outside, by those who, in the name of profit, continue to lay their hands on the African continent to exploit and plunder it,” he said.

Even so, Leo insisted that the present moment is one for action, not despair.

“Yet this is the moment to change, to transform the story of this country,” he said. “The time has come, today and not tomorrow, now and not in the future, to restore the mosaic of unity by bringing together the diversity and riches of the country and the continent. In this way, it will be possible to create a society in which peace and reconciliation reign.”

The pope warned that when difficult situations persist for a long time, people can fall into resignation and helplessness. But, he said, “the word of the Lord opens up new possibilities and brings about transformation and healing.”

“It is capable of stirring our hearts, of challenging the normal course of events to which we so easily risk becoming accustomed, and of making us active agents of change,” he said. “Let us remember this: God is newness, God creates new things, God makes us courageous people who, by confronting evil, build up the good.”

Reflecting on the Acts of the Apostles, Leo said the apostles’ courage became “a voice of conscience, a prophecy, a denunciation of evil,” calling that witness “the first step towards changing things.”

“In fact, obeying God is not an act of submission that oppresses us or nullifies our freedom; on the contrary, obedience to God sets us free, because it means entrusting our lives to him and allowing his word to inspire our way of thinking and acting,” he said.

Those “who obey God rather than human beings and earthly ways of thinking,” he continued, “rediscover their inner freedom, succeed in discovering the value of goodness, and do not resign themselves to evil. They find anew their way in life and become builders of peace and fraternity.”

The pope also cautioned Catholics to remain vigilant in their faith.

“We must, however, always keep the apostle Peter’s exhortation in our hearts and bring it to mind: Obey God, not human beings. To obey him, because he alone is God,” Leo said.

“This calls us to foster inculturation of the Gospel. It also calls us to be vigilant, even regarding our own religious practices, so as not to fall into the trap of mixing the Catholic faith with other beliefs and traditions of an esoteric or Gnostic nature, which in reality often serve political and economic ends.”

“Only God sets us free; only his word opens paths to freedom; only his Spirit makes us new people capable of changing this country,” he said.

At the end of the Mass, Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Bamenda thanked the pope for visiting the region “during this time of insecurity, uncertainty, and discouragement,” saying his presence had brought “spiritual uplift, moral encouragement, psychological boost, and physical consolation.”

The archbishop said the people of Bamenda were confident that “the peace you have come to pray for shall return once again” to the ecclesiastical province and pledged, on behalf of the bishops of the region, filial loyalty to the pope.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Source: https://www.ewtnnews.com/vatican/pope-leo-xiv-in-cameroon-says-the-time-has-come-to-rebuild-peace