Pope Leo criticises leaders who spend billions on wars, in unusually blunt remarks in Cameroon. It comes after US President Donald Trump attacked him again on social media.
Speaking in Bamenda, in the country’s conflict-hit English-speaking region, the first US pontiff also denounces those who “manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain”, warning against the use of faith to justify violence.
Addressing a community scarred by nearly a decade of unrest, he says he has come “to proclaim peace”, but found that locals were already “proclaiming peace to me, and to the entire world”.
Leo highlights the human cost of war, criticising what he described as a global imbalance in priorities.
“The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild,” he says, adding that “billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found.”
Calling for a “decisive change of course”, the pope urges a shift towards “a sustainable path rich in human fraternity”.
Despite the bleak picture, he strikes a note of hope, saying that while “the world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants”, it is also being “held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters”.