Pope Leo draws hundreds of thousands to mass in Douala

Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, celebrated a massive outdoor Mass in Douala, Cameroon on Friday, drawing an anticipated 600,000 faithful to Japoma Stadium in what is expected to be the largest event of his 11-day, four-nation African tour. The Pope also visited a Catholic hospital in Cameroon's economic hub before returning to the capital Yaounde, where he met with students, professors, and administrators at the Catholic University of Central Africa. Earlier in his visit, Leo delivered pointed remarks to President Paul Biya, 93, the world's oldest head of state who has ruled since 1982, demanding that the "chains of corruption" in Cameroon be broken and warning that frustration from unemployment and social exclusion can fuel violence. The Pope has used his Cameroon visit to deliver unusually forceful critiques of global and local leadership. He accused unnamed world leaders of spending billions on wars while the planet is "being ravaged by a handful of tyrants," and condemned "neocolonial" powers for violating international law, comments that have drawn the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump. Despite Cameroon being an oil and cocoa-producing country experiencing modest economic growth, young Cameroonians say the benefits have not reached ordinary citizens. According to World Bank data, while official unemployment stands at 3.5 percent, 57 percent of workers aged 18 to 35 are trapped in informal employment, and approximately one-third of trained doctors leave the country annually for more lucrative opportunities abroad. Cameroon, with a median age of 18 and where roughly 29 percent of its 29 million inhabitants are Catholic, has been plagued by heightened tensions since Biya secured an eighth consecutive term in October's contentious presidential election. Opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary contested the results, sparking deadly protests that United Nations sources say killed 48 civilians, nearly half in the Littoral region that includes Douala. The country also faces a simmering Anglophone conflict that has killed thousands since 2017. Pope Leo's engagement with Cameroon's youth reflects a broader pattern of the papacy using such visits to encourage young people in developing nations to persevere despite poverty, corruption, and other societal challenges.