Pope Leo has warned that the world is being damaged by “tyrants,” delivering pointed remarks days after US President Donald Trump criticised the pontiff over his stance on the war involving Iran.
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Speaking during a visit to the city of Bamenda in Cameroon, the pope called for peace and condemned leaders who use religion to justify violence. His comments came amid a public exchange with Trump, who had accused the pontiff of taking a position that could allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.
“The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters,” Leo said during a speech in Bamenda on Thursday.
Trump later downplayed the dispute, telling reporters that he had the right to disagree with the pope.
“The pope made a statement. He says Iran can have a nuclear weapon. I say Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
Visit to conflict-hit Bamenda
The remarks were delivered during the pope’s visit to Bamenda, a city widely regarded as the centre of Cameroon’s long-running Anglophone crisis. The conflict between government forces and separatist groups has led to more than 65,000 deaths and displaced more than half a million people.
Leo arrived in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé, on Wednesday as part of a four-country tour of Africa. During his arrival, he urged the country’s authorities to tackle corruption while addressing the ongoing unrest.
On Thursday, the pope travelled to Bamenda, where thousands gathered to welcome him as he arrived in the popemobile. Many in the crowd waved branches symbolising peace.
Among those present was Jamconfidence Masha, a clothes maker whose shop was destroyed during the conflict. She said the pope’s visit carried a message of “love, hope and unity” for people affected by the violence.
During his visit, Leo also heard testimonies from individuals directly impacted by the crisis, including a group of nuns who had previously been kidnapped.
Warning against misuse of religion
In his address, the pontiff criticised leaders who exploit religious language for political or military purposes.
He condemned those who “manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain,” saying such actions drag what is sacred “into darkness and filth.”
Leo also criticised the exploitation of Africa’s natural resources by outside actors, arguing that profits from those resources often fuel further violence.
“Those who rob your land of its resources generally invest much of the profit in weapons, thus perpetuating an endless cycle of destabilisation and death,” he said.
“It is a world turned upside down, an exploitation of God’s creation that must be denounced and rejected by every honest conscience.”
Trump criticism and response
The latest exchange between the pope and Trump began earlier in the week, when the US president criticised Leo’s comments on the conflict involving Iran.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump described the pope as “terrible for foreign policy” and said he was not a supporter of the pontiff.
“We don’t like a pope that’s going to say that it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Leo later addressed the remarks while speaking to reporters aboard a flight on Monday.
“The things I say are not meant as attacks on anyone,” the pope said, adding that he had no fear of the Trump administration and would continue speaking openly about the message of the Gospel.
Trump insisted on Thursday that the disagreement did not amount to a personal feud, saying he was not “fighting” with the pope and that the pontiff could “say what he wants.”
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 18 April 2026
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