Pope Leo urges peace in Cameroon and denounces 'tyrants' who profit from war

Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally has publicly backed Pope Leo XIV's calls for peace in the Middle East, drawing a sharp response from U.S. President Donald Trump who had earlier labeled the pontiff "terrible for foreign policy" and "weak." Mullally, who leads the Church of England and serves as spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion with over 100 million members, stated she stands with the Pope in his "courageous call for peace" and urged "all those entrusted with political authority to pursue every possible peaceful and just means of resolving conflict." The Archbishop is scheduled to meet with Pope Leo at the Vatican later this month. The public exchange escalated earlier this week when Trump criticized the Pope following the pontiff's Easter message condemning war. The Pope, who is currently on a four-nation Africa tour, has remained steadfast in his stance, telling reporters he is "not afraid of the Trump administration" and will continue to advocate that "there's a better way" than armed conflict. Trump, who had previously praised Leo's election as "a Great Honor for our Country," also shared and later deleted an image depicting himself in a Jesus-like figure, though he dismissed criticism by saying it was meant to show him as a doctor "making people better." On Thursday, Pope Leo delivered his peace message at Saint Joseph's Cathedral in Bamenda, Cameroon, where cheering crowds welcomed him at a interfaith dialogue meeting attended by tribal chiefs, religious leaders, and community members. The city sits at the epicenter of a conflict between government forces and English-speaking separatists that has killed more than 6,000 civilians and displaced over 600,000 people since 2016. The Pope condemned "a handful of tyrants" exploiting the world's resources while investing "much of the profit in weapons," stating "Blessed are the peacemakers" but "woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain."