Pope Leo XIV (Image: Getty)
Pope Leo XIV raged against the “rich and powerful” on Wednesday as he called for “peace” amid his ongoing public feud with President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, the Pope urged Cameroon’s government to root out corruption and resist “the whims of the rich and powerful”, in a forceful speech given in the presence of President Paul Biya, who has led the country since 1982, Reuters reported.
Anglophone separatists in Cameroon announced a period of “safe travel passage” and stopped fighting ahead of the Pope’s visit.
Leo XIV said: “God’s heart is torn apart by wars, violence, injustice and lies,” he said, explaining that his heart was “not with the wicked, the arrogant or the proud. God’s heart is with the little ones and the humble, and with them he builds up his kingdom of love and peace day by day, just as you are striving to do here in your daily service, friendship and life together.”
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Donald Trump has criticised the Pope several times. (Image: Getty)
Pope Leo, who is currently in Africa to visit four countries, has been criticised by U.S. President Donald Trump several times.
Mr Trump said in more than one occasion that the Pope is “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy”. Then, speaking at the White House, he refused to apologise to him. Pope Leo replied to those comments by saying: “I am not afraid of the Trump administration. I speak of the Gospel, and therefore, I will continue to speak out loudly against the war. I have no intention of entering into a debate with him.”
The head of the Catholic Chuch, who is the first US-born pope, then stressed that he was not making a direct attack against Mr Trump or anyone else as he criticised the “delusion of omnipotence” that is fueling the Iran wars and other conflicts around the world.
He also said that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them,” and also referenced an Old Testament passage from Isaiah, saying that “even though you make many prayers, I will not listen – your hands are full of blood”.
His comments were then picked up by House Speaker in the US Mike Johnson, who then backed Donald Trump in his feud by accusing the pontiff of “wading into politics.”
Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Johnson said: “A religious leader can say anything they want, but obviously if you wade into political waters, you should expect some political response and I think the Pope has received some of that.
“Frankly I was taken a bit aback by him saying something about ‘those who engage in war, Jesus doesn’t hear their prayers’ or something. There’s something called the ‘just war’ doctrine.'”
Pope Leo XIV is currently in Africa to visit Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea. In Cameroon, he will visit Bamenda, which is the city is regarded as the centre of Cameroon’s conflict between Anglophone separatists and state forces, the BBC reported. A national dialogue organised by the government in 2019 failed to end the violence in the country’s two English‑speaking regions, the BBC also added.