By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
Pope Leo XIV on Friday April 17 challenged Cameroonians to reject despair, violence and corruption despite the nation’s abundant natural resources, urging them instead to harness their deep-seated values of faith, family, hospitality and hard work to shape a better future.
In a homily during Mass in the city of Douala, the pontiff drew on the biblical account of Jesus multiplying five barley loaves and two fish to feed a crowd of thousands. He used the miracle — recounted in the Gospel of John — to illustrate how sharing limited resources with gratitude can yield abundance, a message he tied directly to Cameroon’s realities of material want and spiritual hunger.
“Despite the richness of the land in Cameroon, many experience both material and spiritual poverty,” the pope said during his homily. He warned the faithful against the “easy gains” promised by abuse and violence, which he said only serve to harden the heart and render it insensitive to the needs of others.
The pope’s address leaned heavily on a vision of self-reliance and moral integrity. He urged the congregation, particularly the youth, not to give in to “distrust and discouragement” but to recognize that their greatest assets are not the minerals or crops beneath their feet, but their communal values.
“Do not forget that your people are even richer than this land,” Pope Leo XIV said. “Your treasure lies in your values: faith, family, hospitality, and work.”
Throughout the homily, Pope Leo XIV framed the act of sharing as a “miracle” in itself, suggesting that social and political problems are solved when resources are distributed with a “hand that gives” rather than a “hand that snatches away.”
He explicitly addressed those in positions of power, reminding social and political leaders that they bear a responsibility to seek the well-being of the people rather than personal gain.
“Be the first faces and hands that bring the bread of life to your neighbors, providing them with the food of wisdom and deliverance from all that does not nourish them, but rather obscures good desires and robs them of their dignity,” he urged.
Focusing on the future of the nation, Pope Leo XIV challenged the younger generation to become “protagonists” of their own destiny. He cautioned them against allowing their energy to be drained by corrupt practices that offer no contribution to the progress of society.
The pontiff however called on the Church in Cameroon to be a “prophetic voice” of justice and peace, urging believers to leave signs of faith that liberate the country from superstition and indifference.
“Proclaiming the Risen Jesus means leaving signs of justice in a suffering and oppressed land, signs of peace amid rivalry and corruption, signs of faith that free us from superstition and indifference,” Pope Leo XIV said.
