On a visit to Cameroon, the sovereign pontiff made multiple gestures of openness, meeting with Muslim leaders and the country’s bishops, while calling for peace based on fraternity and social commitment.
Back at the nunciature on Thursday evening, Pope Leo XIV received twelve representatives of the Cameroonian Muslim communities, some of whom had been welcomed in Rome last December. This meeting, marked by warm exchanges, is part of an ongoing dynamic of cooperation between the Church and these communities, around social justice projects aimed at supporting the most vulnerable populations.
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After individually greeting his interlocutors, the sovereign pontiff expressed his gratitude for the welcome extended by all Cameroonians, of all faiths. He also recalled the importance of interreligious dialogue, already at the heart of his speech delivered earlier in Bamenda.
In the face of tensions and divisions that sometimes cross religions, Leo XIV insisted on a shared responsibility: to promote authentic peace. “A peace that arises from the recognition that we are all brothers and sisters,” he emphasized, calling to value differences rather than deny them.
The day before, the pope had met with the bishops of Cameroon, praising the vitality of vocations while calling for rigorous training of future priests. He insisted on an authority based on service, in a world marked by fractures. Through these meetings, Leo XIV reaffirms his desire to make Cameroon a living laboratory of fraternity and hope.
