The writer and the priest, both committed against the Yaoundé regime, speak out to denounce the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Cameroon. But the president of the National Episcopal Conference reassures.
Pope Leo XIV will make an apostolic visit to Cameroon from April 15 to 18, 2026, at the invitation of President Paul Biya, the Civil Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic announced on February 25, 2026. His visit will take him to Yaoundé, Douala, and Bamenda. While all arrangements are being made to welcome the head of the Catholic Church in the world and head of state of the Vatican, Father Ludovic Lado, a priest involved in politics in Cameroon, does not hide his discomfort.
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Upon learning of the confirmation of the Pope’s announced visit, he remains skeptical about the “apostolic” qualification attributed to the visit. He recalls that the Pope refused invitations from US President Donald Trump “because of his policy but accepts that of Biya who kills to stay in power.” According to him, after the visits of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XIV to Cameroon, the country “sank.” “Is it Leo XIV who is going to convert us?” he asks.
He refuses to believe in an apostolic visit. The man of God has already opposed the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Cameroon by making it known to the Vatican. In a letter addressed to the Pontiff, he presented the socio-political situation of the country marked by political tensions and other crises. In response, the Secretariat of the Holy See said it was aware of all this and further advocated dialogue to resolve crises in Cameroon. The priest is therefore among those who think that the Pope is arriving in Cameroon to legitimize the re-election of President Paul Biya.
Just like Ludovic Lado, the writer Calixthe Beyala, another opponent of the Yaoundé regime, finds no difference between Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump. This is because he “will be in Cameroon and will shake hands with criminals.” Denouncing the racism of Americans, Calixthe Beyala attempts to denounce a certain indifference of the Pope towards the assassination of Cameroonians while emphasizing the latter’s enrichment.
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Regarding the reasons for Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Cameroon, Archbishop Andrew Nkéa, president of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, helps the public understand. In an interview with Vatican News, the Archbishop of Bamenda explains that the Pope brings a message of peace and reconciliation. He will come to Cameroon “as a messenger of peace in the face of difficulties. In the north we have Boko Haram. In the North-West and South-West we have the Anglophone crisis. In the East we have refugees.” He arrives as an “apostle of reconciliation, as a promoter of justice among us.”
He also comes as a man of God. Even because of the country’s difficulties, “we must see this visit positively.” According to him, because of the political situation, some politicians speak negatively about the Pope’s visit to Cameroon. “They look at how much it will cost or they say he is coming to confirm the president who did not win (the election Ed.).” However, for him, if the Pope arrives in Cameroon, it is the work of God. With his presence, “something will change.” He cannot come and go without leaving a change, the prelate reassures.
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