While Pope Leo XIV's castigation of warmongers [9] has so far failed to turn around the hawks in the current US administration, it has won Cameroonians a temporary reprieve from secessionist violence. To mark the pope's visit April 14, anglophone separatist groups said they would pause their fighting [10] and allow the free movement of people. The pontiff may have stopped short of trying to mediate the nearly decade-long conflict in the majority French-speaking country, but he did urge President Paul Biya to root out corruption—and then lashed out at foreign exploitation [11] of the continent. Leo also returned to his spiritual feud [12] with the US administration. "Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth," he told a gathering [13] at Saint Joseph Cathedral in the city of Bamenda. "They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found."
From The New Humanitarian [15], April 17
