On the morning of 15 April, before his departure, the Pontiff took his leave of the Apostolic Nunciature in Algeria and visited the Notre Dame d’Afrique nursery school, run by the Missionaries of Charity. The papal flight bound for the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé, took off from Houari Boumédiène International Airport at 10.16 am.

On arrival at Yaoundé-Nsimalen Airport, Leo XIV was welcomed by Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute and the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop José Avelino Bettencourt, in accordance with the formal welcome ceremony.

He then proceeded to the Presidential Palace, adorned with yellow and white flowers – the colours of the Vatican – where he first held a private meeting with President Paul Biya. Subsequently, at the same venue, he met with representatives of the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps. “I come among you as a shepherd and as a servant of dialogue, fraternity and peace,” the Holy Father began.

He went on to express his gratitude for the warm welcome in this “Africa in miniature”, as he described Cameroon, “for the richness of its territories, its cultures, its languages and its traditions”. “This diversity,” continued the Holy Father, “is not a weakness: it is a treasure. It constitutes a promise of fraternity and a solid foundation for building lasting peace.”

The Pope touched on many themes in his address, but the recurring theme above all was that of peace and harmony: “My visit,” said Pope Leo, “expresses the affection of the Successor of Peter for all Cameroonians, as well as the desire to encourage everyone to continue, with enthusiasm and perseverance, in building the common good.”

Leone did not shy away from mentioning the “complex trials” facing Cameroon, with the tensions and violence that have swept through certain regions of the North-West, South-West and Far North. But precisely for this reason, he urged with greater vigour: “The world thirsts for peace […]. Enough of wars, with their painful toll of deaths, destruction and exiles! This cry is meant to be an appeal to the will to contribute to authentic peace, placing it above any partisan interest”.

In the evening, Leo XIV visited the Ngul Zamba orphanage, a facility that takes in poor children and young people aged between 18 months and 20 years, some abandoned by their families, others disabled or expelled from institutions for crimes or drug use.

There, Pope Leo XIV said, God “wishes to show you his tenderness and hold you close to his heart, and I too wish to do so, in his name.”

Pope Leo XIV listened attentively to the stories of the centre’s residents—stories of life and difficult experiences—but he imparted a message of hope to them: “In a world often marked by indifference and selfishness, this home reminds us that we are all guardians of our brothers and sisters, and that, in God’s great family, no one is ever a stranger or forgotten, however small they may be”.

In the evening, the Bishop of Rome travelled to the headquarters of the Cameroonian Bishops’ Conference for a private meeting with the country’s bishops.