Newsletters
Pope Leo XIV urged Cameroon’s leaders to root out corruption and protect human rights on Wednesday, as U.S. President Donald Trump renewed his attacks on the pontiff in a new social media post.
Pope asked leaders to resist “the whims of the rich and powerful,” while Trump shared an image depicting himself with Jesus.
Axios also reported that Trump discussed an earlier Jesus-like meme with housing finance chief Bill Pulte before posting it.
Speaking in Yaounde shortly after arriving in Cameroon from Algeria, Leo called on the government to break “the chains of corruption” and press for peace, justice and dialogue in a country facing multiple security crises, Reuters reported.
The renewed clash unfolded as criticism inside the United States continued over the administration’s rhetoric toward the head of the Catholic Church.
“It is time to examine our conscience and take a bold leap forward,” Leo said in the presence of President Paul Biya, Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute and other leaders.
In an unusually direct overseas speech, Leo said authority loses credibility when corruption is allowed to take hold.
“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 said.
“Hearts must be set free from an idolatrous thirst for profit,” he added.
Leo also called for an end to Cameroon’s simmering Anglophone conflict, which has killed thousands over the last decade. He said fighting in the country’s English-speaking regions, along with violence involving Nigeria-based militant groups such as Boko Haram in Cameroon’s north, was depriving young people of education and hope.
“Enough of war, with all the pain it causes through death, destruction and exile!” he said.
He also urged leaders to listen to citizens and protect human rights.
“Governing means truly listening to citizens, valuing their intelligence and their ability to help build lasting solutions to problems,” Leo said.
“Security is a priority, but it must always be exercised with respect for human rights,” he added.
“Authentic peace arises when ... the law serves as a secure safeguard against the whims of the rich and powerful.”
A separatist alliance said it would observe a three-day “safe travel passage” to allow civilians and visitors to move freely during the pope’s visit.
Cameroon, a former German colony later partitioned by Britain and France after World War I, has seen years of violence between government forces and separatists in its two English-speaking regions.
The pope, who is 70 and in good health, is undertaking one of the most complex tours arranged for a pontiff in decades. The trip covers nearly 18,000 kilometers over 18 flights to 11 cities and towns and also includes Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
He is due to travel to Bamenda on Thursday for a Mass and a “meeting for peace,” while the Vatican expects around 600,000 people for a Mass in Douala on Friday.
Thousands lined the streets of Yaounde as Leo traveled from the airport to the presidential palace. Billboards welcomed him with images of both Leo and Biya and the message: “Welcome to Cameroon, Land of Hope.”
Trump, who had already criticized the pope earlier this week, renewed the feud on Tuesday night and Wednesday.
In a separate Truth Social post Tuesday, Trump urged that “someone please tell Pope Leo” about the killings of protesters in Iran and that “for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable.”
On Wednesday, Trump reposted an image showing Jesus embracing him temple-to-temple while he stood behind a microphone with an American flag in the background. The repost carried the caption: “The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!”
Earlier this week, Trump had posted a different image portraying himself as a Jesus-like figure, then later deleted it after backlash.
Trump has been feuding with Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, over the pope’s criticism of the war that began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, also weighed in Tuesday evening, saying the pope was wrong to say that disciples of Christ are “never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs” and that it was “very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”
Leo said Monday he had “no fear” of the Trump administration and would continue speaking out against war.
Speaking on his flight to Cameroon, Leo did not address Trump directly, but urged respect for all peoples and said his African tour had shown the importance of dialogue among different communities.
In Algiers on Monday, Leo had also denounced “neocolonial” world powers, he said, were violating international law, without naming specific countries.
The response online to Trump’s Wednesday post was more muted than the backlash over the earlier Jesus-like image, but public reaction from religious and political figures continued.
On Wednesday morning, the U.S.-based Knights of Columbus posted a statement from Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly defending the pope.
“Pope Leo XIV has consistently called for peace, dialogue, and restraint in a world marked by war and suffering,” the statement said.
“The Holy Father's words are not political talking points—they are reflections of the Gospel itself.”
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson also commented, saying he was “taken a little bit aback” by the pope’s remarks about those who wage war and that criticism was to be expected after the pope entered “political waters.”
Johnson referred to what he called the “just war” doctrine and appeared to be referencing a March 29 address in St. Peter’s Square in which Leo said Jesus “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,” citing a Bible passage.
Axios reported that before Trump posted the earlier image showing him as a Christ-like healer, he discussed the meme with Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
According to Axios, Trump and Pulte spent time together in South Florida over the weekend and two advisers said Pulte brought the image to Trump’s attention. It was unclear whether Pulte showed the image on his phone or sent it directly to Trump.
“Everyone thought it was a joke,” one adviser said.
Pulte declined to comment, as did the White House. A third adviser friendly with Pulte said he did not provide the meme to Trump.
Axios said the original image did not include a horned figure later seen in the version Trump posted Sunday night, and that the source image had appeared in a since-deleted February X post by MAGA influencer Nick Adams with the message: “America has been sick for a long time. President Trump is healing this nation.”
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
1 min read
