DOUALA, Cameroon.— This Friday, and Pope Leo XIV urged the young people from Cameroon a resist the temptation of corruption and to work to serve the common good during a mass before thousands of peoplein one of the most massive events of his 11-day tour of four countries in Africa.
Leo XIV traveled today to Douala, the commercial and economic capital of the country, on a day focused on motivating young people. Later in the day, and back in the capital, Yaoundé, he will meet with students, teachers and administrators of the Catholic University of Central Africa.
Popes often use such gatherings, especially in the developing world, to encourage youth to persevere in the face of poverty, corruption and other challenges.
An hour before the start of the liturgy, the large field in front of the Japoma sports stadium It was packed with people singing and dancing while an announcer shouted “We have the Pope!” (“We have a dad!”). The Latin phrase is used to announce the election of a new pontiff, although on this occasion it joyfully announced the arrival of Pope Leo XIV to the venue. The crowd cheered when the holy father appeared in his open-sided popemobile, with groups of young people running alongside him trying to keep up, as he circled around the crowd. Some spent the night on the ground, fighting mosquitoes, to have room for the late morning Mass, but said they were willing to make the sacrifice for the pontiff.
The bishop of Rome asks youth to remember their values
“I wanted to offer this effort to the Pope, to show him that what he is doing and what he wants to achieve should come to life,” he said. Alex Nzumowho arrived at mass on crutches.
The Vatican expected about 600,000 people to attend the liturgy. But at the end of the mass, the Holy See, citing local organizers, put attendance at about 120,000.
In his homily, delivered in French and English, the successor of Peter mentioned the biblical account of Jesus’ multiplication of the loaves to urge young people to “multiply their talents through faith, perseverance and friendship.”
“Be the first faces and hands that bring the bread of life to your neighbors, providing them with the food of wisdom and liberation from everything that does not nourish them, but rather obscures good desires and robs them of their dignity,” said the holy father.
Furthermore, the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church urged them to go beyond the poverty and disillusionment that many experience and look to the future with hope.
“Do not give in to distrust and discouragement,” the Pope said. “Do not forget that your people are even richer than this land, because their treasure is in their values: faith, family, hospitality and work,” the pontiff said.
“Do not allow yourselves to be corrupted by temptations that waste your energy and do not serve the progress of society,” added Pope Leo XIV.
With 29 million inhabitants, Cameroon is an overwhelmingly young country with an average age of 18 years. Catholics represent around 29% of the population, and the country is an important source of growth and priestly vocations for the Church.
Words of encouragement to the youth of Cameroon
The pontiff has already offered words of encouragement to the youth of Camerooneven in his first speech before the president, Paul Biyawho at 93 years old is the oldest leader in the world. In that intervention, Leo XIV demanded that the “chains of corruption” be broken in the nation and affirmed that young people represent its future and its hope.
But with Biya in power since 1982, Cameroon is perhaps the most dramatic example of the tension between African youth and the continent’s many aging leaders.
Despite being an oil-producing country experiencing modest economic growth, young people argue that the benefits have not reached beyond the elites.
“Of course, when unemployment and social exclusion persist, frustration can lead to violence,” the holy father warned in his inaugural address to Biya and government authorities earlier in the week. “Investing in the education, training and entrepreneurship of young people is, therefore, a strategic choice for peace. It is the only way to stop the departure of wonderful talent to other parts of the world.”
According to data from the World Bank, the unemployment rate in Cameroon stands at 3.5%, but 57% of the active population between 18 and 35 years old works in the informal sector.
The bleak economic outlook in the country has caused a significant brain drain and strained an already understaffed healthcare sector, as many doctors and nurses are leaving the country in search of more lucrative jobs in Europe and North America.
In 2023, about a third of doctors graduating from medical school in Cameroon will leave the country, according to the Ministry of Higher Education.
Growing frustration over Biya’s record and long rule intensified during the tense presidential election last October, in which the leader secured an eighth consecutive term.
When the main opposition candidate, Issa Tchiroma Bakarychallenged the election result, deadly protests broke out across the country.
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