Saint Isidore Parish

LUANDA, Angola (CNS) -- When more than 100 villagers’ homes were torn down because they sat atop mineral-rich land, it was the Catholic Church that went to court.

The case, brought by a commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe, resulted in new homes for displaced families in the southern province of Huíla, according to church officials.

Across Angola, church leaders say such interventions -- legal, advocacy and negotiations -- with mining companies are becoming more common.

As the Catholic Church’s global leadership increasingly looks to Africa as a wellspring of vitality and growth, communities across the continent are pressing it to take a clearer stand on one of their most urgent concerns: the human and environmental cost of mining. 

In resource-rich regions like Angola, Catholic leaders are navigating a fraught reality, caught between governments and multinational mining companies on one side, and communities facing displacement, pollution and deepening poverty on the other. 

In Angola, that responsibility has often fallen to the Church.

The bishops' Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation works to ensure that affected communities’ voices are heard through advocacy, dialogue and, at times, legal action.

Jesuit Father Celestino Epalanga, undersecretary of the commission, has spent years working with communities impacted by mining projects.

Five years ago, the commission heard about the community impact of the government allowing mining companies to extract resources from the land peoples' homes were built on. The government's deal with the mining companies meant about 130 families in the area were displaced -- forced from their homes and their land, Father Epalanga told Catholic News Service April 20 in Luanda. The bishops’ conference hired an attorney to represent the communities in court, and a judge ruled the company had to build new homes for the affected families. 

Father Epalanga said he has seen other communities poisoned, displaced and left without basic services.

"It’s been over 100 years that we are exporting diamonds, but there is nothing in the area, absolutely nothing -- no hospitals, no schools," he told CNS.

Mining across the Global South has expanded rapidly in recent years, driven in part by global demand for critical minerals used in batteries and clean energy technologies. According to the International Energy Agency, demand for lithium alone rose by nearly 30% in 2024.

Angola is one of Africa’s top diamond producers, with government figures showing output reached 15.2 million carats last year. The country is also an emerging hub for minerals such as copper, cobalt and lithium, and much of the country remains underexplored, as investment continues to grow. The country produces roughly 1.2 million barrels per day in oil, accounting for 95% of Angola's exports, according to the Chr. Michelsen Institute, a Norwegian research center.

The country has also become a key geopolitical player.

Angola’s Lobito Corridor serves as a major export route for minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, which together supply the majority of the world’s cobalt and a significant share of its copper, both essential for modern technologies. This area provides access to an estimated 73% of the world’s cobalt, which is used in electric vehicles, smartphones and laptops, and 14% of the global production of copper, which is a primary material for electrical wiring.

That has drawn competing interest from global powers. The Chinese government and state banks have invested heavily in Angolan infrastructure, contributing an estimated $17 billion to $20 billion, while the United States government has backed development of the railway as part of its own strategic push in the region.

Yet for many Angolans, the benefits remain unclear. Local economists Alves da Rocha and Wilson Chimoco have warned that expectations that the resource wealth tied to the corridor will reach the people impacted by the mines remain "very low," in a published report in 2025.

Throughout Pope Leo XIV’s multi-country tour of Africa, he has strongly urged countries to rethink their approach to exploitative mining industries that oftentimes does not benefit the poorest. Andin Angola, where more than 60% of the government’s revenue is dependent on oil and diamonds, this issue is especially relevant.

In his first stop in the county, Pope Leo echoed those concerns to Angolan President João Lourenço and the diplomatic corps April 18. 

"You know well that all too often people have looked -- and continue to look -- to your lands in order to give, or, more commonly, in order to take," Pope Leo said to the diplomatic corps. "It is necessary to break this cycle of interests, which reduces reality, and even life itself, to mere commodities."

The pope was direct in his speech on the consequences: "How much suffering, how many deaths, how many social and environmental disasters are brought about by this logic of extractivism!"

He called for more economic justice in the country, where the inequality of wealth is high. An estimated 52 percent of those under the age of 25 are unemployed, according to some local media. 

"All Angolans, without exception, have the right to build up this country and to benefit from it equitably," the pope told the diplomatic corps April 18 in Luanda. "Your people have suffered time and again when this harmony was violated by the arrogance of a few."

For many communities, the Church has become one of the only institutions integrated into remote villages across the mining-affected areas. 

Cornélio Bento, a journalist and project coordinator with the bishops’ conference's commission, said the Church often acts as an intermediary between companies and communities.

In one village in Lunda Sul province, a river was polluted by mining waste, water that locals depended on for drinking, cooking and washing, Bento said.

In Mussolobela, another village, residents reported that nearby mining operations caused their homes to shake as heavy machinery moved closer. The bishops' commission helped organize residents and is now in dialogue with company representatives.

"This land is our way of life," Bento told CNS in an interview April 20.

The local church has also begun developing formal processes for communities to file grievances collectively, strengthening their ability to negotiate with companies. Bento learned about it when meeting with other Catholic activists in Africa working to support communities affected by mining. 

Yet these efforts seem hampered by a lack of data. 

Consolação Miguel, a lawyer with the bishops' commission, said obtaining reliable environmental and health data remains difficult. She told CNS that one of their top priorities is getting accurate risk assessments and environmental impact reports of mining activities that could show that recent health concerns in areas near mining projects are related to the extraction.

"If the fact they are dying is because of this contaminant, we don’t have a solid explanation," she told CNS in an April 20 interview in Kilamba. "We don’t have sources to prove that -- but we all know."

When asked if the church’s efforts had support from the government, Father Gabriel Cambala told CNS in Kilamba April 20: "We cannot categorically say, 'yes.' There is still resistance when it comes to dialogue between the Church and the local government -- significant resistance."

In 2025, Human Rights Watch reported that Angolan police were implicated in the killings, sexual violence, excessive use of force and torture of some activists and protesters. Some media have reported on the use of bullets to disperse crowds of protesters in the province of North Lunda.

For Father Epalanga, he said he will never forget going to Cafunfo in northeast Angola following a community protest of a mine that became violent. 

He said they were chanting early in the morning against the diamond mining nearby. But then later, "They had people carry the corpses to a river nearby," the Jesuit priest told CNS. 

In January 2021, the Angolan authorities classified this incident that resulted in the death of more than 30 people as a "rebellion and attempted robbery" in a police report in Cafunfo, some media reported. Even for some of those working with the local church, the issue is complex.

Father Cambala told CNS he speaks daily about the impacts of mining activities on the region where he works in north Angola. Once, there was hope that these companies would come and help develop the region with much-needed infrastructure, like hospitals and schools.

"What happens, however, is that the population benefits almost not at all -- nothing at all, in fact," he said while waiting for the pope to arrive in Saurimo in northeast Angola. "Many lives are destroyed, people are killed, and afterward, there is no justice for those families. No, no -- no one looks for the culprit, and the guilty are not punished."

The pope encouraged the Angolan authorities to invest in social services, especially those that support the most vulnerable, like the elder-care home he visited in Saurimo April 20. 

"The care of the weakest is a very important sign of the quality of the social life of a nation," he told nursing home staff and authorities gathered there. 

Many local clergy have taken it upon themselves to ensure that these villages have the resources they need to have a voice. 

Some priests in affected regions have increasingly used their homilies to educate communities about their rights, while the bishops’ commission organizes workshops on environmental protection and legal recourse.

Pope Leo encouraged clergy, religious and catechists in his speech to them in Luanda April 20 to continue to share the church's social teaching, telling them it was "essential that, while interpreting current events with wisdom, you never cease to denounce injustices, offering solutions in accordance with Christian charity."

He reminded them that sometimes such witness may come at a cost: "When difficulties arise, remember the heroic witness of faith given by Angolans --men and women, missionaries born here or coming from abroad -- who had the courage to give their lives for this people and for the Gospel, preferring death to betraying the justice, truth, mercy, charity and peace of Christ."

Miguel, the attorney with the commission, said the goal is not confrontation, but accountability.

"We don’t have to fight with guns," she said. "We just fight with words, kind words, love words, Fathers’ words."

Church advocates say the pope’s visit has strengthened their efforts.

"This is the Gospel," Father Epalanga said. "He reminded us to take up this mission with seriousness."

During a Mass in Kilamba attended by an estimated crowd of 100,000, Pope Leo emphasized the Church’s responsibility to respond to suffering.

"The social and economic problems and the various forms of poverty call for the presence of a Church that knows how to walk alongside you and how to heed the cry of its children," he said.

For Bento, that message has been energizing for him as a journalist. His team is now developing a guidebook to bring to mining-affected communities, helping them understand their rights and organize collectively, and seeing Pope Leo’s recent speeches as encouragement for their work.

"The pope has brought to us a very powerful tool," he said. "We have to bring this as a pastoral teaching."

Father Cambala said the visit came at a critical moment.

"His speech touched the hearts of our leaders," he said. "We hope it will bear fruit, and that they will truly put into practice what they heard."

WASHINGTON – “Vocations are a sign of God’s free gift of merciful love to a world in need of salvation,” said Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, in anticipation of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations on April 26. “We join in prayer for all disciples of Christ, especially young people, to experience the loving God, the Good Shepherd, who has a unique call for each person’s life,” he continued. 

In conjunction with the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, the USCCB’s Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations released the Ordination Class of 2026 Study conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University. According to this survey, four in five ordinands reported regular participation in Eucharistic adoration before entering the seminary. The full CARA report and profiles of the Ordination Class of 2026 may be found here.   

In his message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Leo XIV extends an invitation to all, not just clergy and those in religious life, to commit to creating conditions that allow the gift of vocations to be embraced, nourished, protected and accompanied, so that it may bear abundant fruit. “Only when our surroundings are illumined by living faith, sustained by constant prayer and enriched by fraternal accompaniment can God’s call blossom and mature, becoming a path of happiness and salvation for individuals and for the world,” he says. 

This year’s CARA report was sent out to the 428 men scheduled to be ordained this year. 334 completed the survey for an overall response rate of 78%. These ordinands represent 110 U.S. dioceses and eparchies and 34 distinct religious institutes.

A few of the major findings of the report are:

• In regard to prayer practices before entering the seminary, ordinands participated in Eucharistic Adoration (81%) on a regular basis, praying the Rosary (79%), participated in a prayer/Bible group (52%), and prayed Lectio Divina (48%).
• Most of the ordinands received formation at a seminary in the Midwest (35%), in the Northeast (28%), South (19%), West (14%), and abroad (5%).
• Nine in ten responding ordinands (92%) reported being encouraged to consider the priesthood by someone in their life, most frequently by a parish priest (70%), friend (49%), or parishioner (44%).
• Hispanics/Latinos constituted 17% of the responding ordinands. They represented 14% of ordinands in religious institutes and 18% of ordinands to the diocesan priesthood.
• Most respondents (93%) were baptized Catholic as an infant and raised primarily by their biological parents (97%) and a married couple living together (88%).

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- One year ago today, Pope Francis died at 7:35 a.m., April 21, 2025.

It came the day after Easter, when -- barely able to raise his hands -- he gave his blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world). Looking drawn and worn, the 88-year-old pope from Argentina took his final ride in the popemobile, spending about 15 minutes among the crowd.

But then, the next morning, which was a major holiday in Italy, church bells in Rome tolled the death knell after U.S. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, announced that Pope Francis had died just a few hours ago. 

"His whole life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and his church," Cardinal Farrell said in a video announcement broadcast from the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where Pope Francis lived.

The Wikimedia Foundation said that its "Deaths in 2025" entry, which included Pope Francis, was their second most-read entry during the year. And plenty of people took the occasion to learn more about his life too, adding that "His English Wikipedia article was the 11th most-read (page) of the year."

Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, Pope Francis was an untiring voice for peace, urging an end to armed conflict, supporting dialogue and encouraging reconciliation.

He gave new energy to millions of Catholics -- and caused concern for some -- as he transformed the image of the papacy into a pastoral ministry based on personal encounters and strong convictions about poverty, mission and dialogue.

His simple lifestyle, which included his decision not to live in the Apostolic Palace and his choice of riding around Rome in a small Fiat or Ford instead of a Mercedes sedan, sent a message of austerity to Vatican officials and clergy throughout the church. 

Although he repeatedly said he did not like to travel, he made 47 foreign trips, taking his message of the Gospel joy to North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

He was elected after Pope Benedict XVI retired in 2013. Then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was already a known and respected figure within the College of Cardinals, so much so that no one disputed a respected Italian journal's report that he had received the second-highest number of votes on all four ballots cast in the 2005 conclave that had elected Pope Benedict.

Elected on March 13, 2013, Cardinal Bergoglio chose the name Francis to honor St. Francis of Assisi.

"Go out" was Pope Francis' constant plea to every Catholic, from curial cardinals to the people in the pews. More than once, he told people that while the Bible presents Jesus as knocking at the door of people's hearts to get in, today Jesus is knocking at the doors of parish churches trying to get out and among the people.
 

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Here are some of our favorite images:

Pope Francis leads a prayer as he appears for the first time on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican March 13, 2013. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) 

A girl holds a letter as she greets Pope Francis as he arrives to lead his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sept. 11, 2013. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) 

Pope Francis kisses a disabled man after spotting him in the crowd and having his popemobile stop as he rode through St. Peter's Square March 19, 2013, ahead of his inaugural Mass at the Vatican. (CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano) 

Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople embrace in Istanbul Nov. 29, 2014. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) 

Pope Francis drinks mate, the traditional Argentine herbal tea, as he greets the crowd during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Nov. 22, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Pope Francis touches the casket of Pope Benedict XVI at the conclusion of his funeral Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Jan. 5, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Pope Francis greets U.S.-born Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, after the cardinal spoke on behalf of himself and 20 other new cardinals created during a consistory in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sept. 30, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Pope Francis greets a child from the popemobile after giving his Easter blessing to thousands of people in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 20, 2025. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Pope Francis' zucchetto is blown off by the wind as he leaves his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican June 12, 2019. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Pope Francis releases a dove outside the Basilica of St. Nicholas after meeting with the leaders of Christian churches in Bari, Italy, July 7, 2018. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Pope Francis blesses a prisoner as he visits he Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia in this Sept. 27, 2015. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) 

Pope Francis smiles at visitors while taking off his glasses at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Oct. 18, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Pope Francis kisses his pectoral cross as aides assist in vesting him before formally delivering "Spes Non Confundit," ("Hope Does Not Disappoint"), his document proclaiming the Holy Year 2025, during a ceremony in front of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican May 9, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
 

 An aide hands Pope Francis his candle, lighted from the paschal candle, at the beginning of the Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican March 30, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Wind rustles the pages of the Book of the Gospels on top of the casket of Pope Francis during his funeral Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 26, 2025. (CNS photo/Pablo Esparza)
 

One Year Later: The Legacy of Pope Francis Revealed

A look back at the papacy of Pope Francis.

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM CAMEROON TO ANGOLA (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV pushed back against interpretations that his recent calls for peace on the ground during his Africa trip were directed specifically at U.S. President Donald Trump, saying his remarks were part of a broader message.

While the pope had responded to comments from the Trump administration earlier in the trip during a flight from Rome, he said April 18 the speeches delivered in Algeria and Cameroon were prepared in advance and intended for local communities and leaders more broadly.

"At the same time, there has been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects," he told journalists aboard the flight, "because of the political situation created when, on the first day of the trip, the president of the United States made some comments about myself," referring to coverage that linked his on-the-ground remarks to Trump. 

He added that "much of what has been written since then has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said."

For example, the pope said, his remarks during a meeting for peace with residents in Bamenda, Cameroon, April 16, had been written two weeks prior, "well before the president ever commented on myself and on the message of peace that I am promoting."

"And yet, as it happened, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate against the president, which is not in my interest at all," he said. 

In that address to the community, the pope spoke broadly about violence, exploitation and the misuse of religion, warning: "Blessed are the peacemakers! But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain."

"The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild," he had said in the speech, adding that "The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters."

Throughout his 11-day trip, Pope Leo repeatedly framed peace as a global moral responsibility, emphasizing the importance of everyone working together toward justice and the need for everyone to reject violence. Some media outlets had reported that these themes were a direct response to U.S. political leaders.

The week of criticism began April 13 when Trump called the pope "weak on crime" and questioned his stance on global conflicts, while also defending his own policies, especially those on Iran and nuclear weapons, as being aligned with the Bible. 

Vice President JD Vance suggested the pope should avoid weighing in on political matters, and he defended Trump’s actions. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was "taken a little bit aback" by the pope’s comments. 

Reflecting on his visit to Africa in his address to the media on the plane, Pope Leo said he was "pleased" with the Algeria leg of the trip and its focus on the legacy of St. Augustine.

"In one sense, it expresses what this trip is about," he said. "I come to Africa as a pastor, as the head of the Catholic Church, to be with, to celebrate with, to encourage and accompany."

He added that he would continue to proclaim the Gospel and promote "the different, fantastic, beautiful aspects" of Christianity, calling for justice, fraternity and peace.

Taking a question from a Cameroonian journalist, the pope said he was struck by the enthusiasm of the people he encountered.

"How wonderful it is to experience what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and to celebrate our faith together," he said. "That enthusiasm was very much present in Cameroon. I am very happy to have had the experience and to accompany all of your people during these days."

BAMENDA, Cameroon (CNS) -- "The voices in the bushes." That is the fear that defines daily life for many residents of this city in Cameroon’s troubled Anglophone region.

"You don’t know where they are," Cajetan Nfor told Catholic News Service April 16. "You don’t know how many of them there are." A resident of Bamenda since 1964, Nfor has witnessed firsthand the rapid decline of the city he calls home.

What began in 2016 as a political protest movement led by English-speaking teachers and lawyers over claims of professional and political marginalization by Cameroon’s French-speaking majority government quickly escalated into violence. Armed separatist groups emerged in the Anglophone regions, initially with some support from residents.

But as time went on, the movement shifted, and the separatist groups began terrorizing their own.

Armed groups began abducting civilians, looting businesses and enforcing their control through fear. Today, residents in northwest Cameroon say they live caught between separatist fighters and government forces, both capable of violence. Human Rights Watch estimated in 2024 that more than 6,000 civilians have died at the hands of both sides after a decade of conflict.

Thousands have been kidnapped, many killed, while others have been sexually assaulted, beaten and held for ransom.

Among them was Sister Carine Tangiri Mangu, a Sister of St. Anne, who told Pope Leo XIV during a community meeting April 16 that she and a priest were taken "into the bush" in November 2025 and held for three days.

They were denied food, water and sleep.

"We went on hunger strike and explained to our captors that we were just doing our work for the poor people and had nothing to do with the politics," she said at the meeting, which included local representatives from different faiths and traditions. "They demanded us to give telephone numbers so that they could collect ransom."

They prayed the rosary continuously, she said and were eventually freed after local Christians negotiated their release.

Other residents at the meeting with the pope shared similar accounts with Catholic News Service, describing abductions for ransom and beatings carried out while family members listened over the phone.

Anglophone separatist groups in Cameroon, which began fighting for independence of the country's English-speaking regions, have increasingly turned to criminal activities to finance their rebellion, alongside a rise in violence against civilians. In the first half of 2024, the northwest region ranked as the second most dangerous administrative area for civilians in Africa, behind only Al-Jazirah state in central Sudan, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

In addition to their fear of the separatists, many residents fear suspected reprisals from the military. Twice in the span of a week last month, Nfor said he woke up to gunshots on his street. Both times, he stepped outside to find the corpses of two residents sprawled on the road, roughly 500 meters from his home. 

His road, he said, has become a "dumping ground," where heavy rains can wash the corpses away. He believes those killed were victims of "regular enforcements of law and order." Human Rights Watch reported in 2024 that the military has been known to target local civilians outright.  

Before the crisis, he remembers a very different Bamenda -- a vibrant city of 630,000, where this kind of fear did not linger.

"You can imagine a river, just rumbling slowly going, and you are on a boat enjoying the ripples," Nfor said. "That was the kind of life that was here."

That life has completely disappeared.

Once one of the country’s most economically active cities, Bamenda has been hollowed out by years of conflict. Business owners have fled after repeated looting and abductions. Farmers struggle to work their land for fear of abduction and killings. Roads are dangerous as separatists have strongholds along major routes, and goods rarely move freely.

Food prices have soared, and access to medical care is limited as the region has become increasingly cut off.

"No one stays out after 7 p.m.," Nfor said. "If you are still hanging out and you don’t have transport… it becomes impossible."

Even short journeys have become ordeals. Trips that once took a few hours can now take up to half a day, as drivers avoid conflict zones.

For Joseph Kitu, the violence has made returning to his home village impossible.

"For the past ten years, our lives have been miserable," he told CNS while waiting for the pope to arrive at the community meeting. "We have lost relatives. They burned homes, looted our properties. I'm an orphan. My parents have all died because of this."

As soon as Pope Leo arrived in war-torn Cameroon April 15, he did not shy away from bringing a message of peace that directly confronted the suffering the people face every day.

In clear, direct language, the pope spent his time in Cameroon denouncing violence, corruption and exploitation, while calling for reconciliation and credible leadership. He has repeatedly framed peace not as an abstract ideal, but as a responsibility shared by political leaders, communities and individuals alike. 

When addressing the diplomatic corps in his first stop to Cameroon, he urged leaders to move beyond paralysis and fear.

"We are living at a time when hopelessness is rampant and a sense of powerlessness tends to paralyze the renewal so deeply desired by peoples," he said in Yaoundé at the presidential palace April 15. "There is such a hunger and thirst for justice! A thirst for getting involved, for a vision, for courageous choices and for peace!"

The pope began his call for peace in the country during an address to the diplomatic corps and 93-year-old President Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1982 and whose long rule has drawn criticism from opposition figures and human rights groups.  Quoting his spiritual father, St. Augustine, the pope said the saint believed those who rule should do so to serve the people, and they should rule "not from a love of power, but from a sense of the duty they owe others." 

"From this perspective, serving one’s country means dedicating oneself, with a clear mind and an upright conscience, to the common good of all people in the nation," he said.

Throughout this leg of his apostolic journey, which covered hundreds of miles and three cities, Pope Leo condemned what he described as a global system that fuels conflict for gain. After residents described fear, loss and exhaustion during the April 16 meeting, the pope acknowledged both the violence within the country and the forces beyond it that have deepened the crisis.

"The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild," he said during the community meeting in Bamenda. "Those who rob your land of its resources generally invest much of the profit in weapons, thus perpetuating an endless cycle of destabilization and death."

"Added to these internal problems which are often fueled by hatred and violence, is the damage caused from outside, by those who, in the name of profit, continue to lay their hands on the African continent to exploit and plunder it," Pope Leo said later April 16 in a homily during Mass at the Bamenda International Airport to an estimated crowd of 20,000.

The depletion of a land rich in resources and marked by suffering was a theme the pope returned to repeatedly.

"It is a world turned upside down, an exploitation of God’s creation that must be denounced and rejected by every honest conscience," the pope said at the community meeting, describing the exploitation of both people and land. "The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters!"

That is how he urged Cameroonians not to give in to resignation after years of violence -- by working together and serving one another no matter what.

"This is the moment to change, to transform the story of this country," Pope Leo said in his homily in Bamenda. "The time has come -- today and not tomorrow, now and not in the future."

His presence alone has already had an effect on the Anglophone region of Cameroon. After years of neglect, Bamenda’s airport was repaired ahead of the papal visit, and the main road into the city was completed, making travel easier for residents, some locals told Catholic News Service. 

Religious leaders in the region have begun pushing for dialogue between the government and separatist groups, describing the conflict as one of the world’s "forgotten crises." Reverend Fonki Samuel Forba of the Presbyterian Church said the Vatican has shown willingness to support mediation efforts.

At a community meeting, Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Bamenda told the pope that his visit came at a critical moment, saying that the soil of Bamenda has "drunk the blood of many of our children." 

"Bamenda will never forget that you visited them and prayed for them, and more especially, you visited them when they needed you most," Archbishop Fuanya said following the pope’s homily at Mass at the airport. 

For many residents, however, the path to peace is complicated by the realities on the ground. Years of instability have created incentives for young fighters to remain in armed groups.

"How would you watch somebody who made $5 or $2 a week and then suddenly he is earning $200 a day?" Nfor said. "How do you want him to leave his gun?"

The pope addressed that reality directly, especially in his appeal to young people -- the very group most vulnerable to recruitment into armed groups.

"Dear young people … 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 said during a Mass April 17 outside the Japona Stadium in Douala to a crowd of more than 120,000. "Do not let yourselves be corrupted by temptations that waste your energies and do not serve the progress of society."

Pope Leo urged them to see their future not in violence or quick profit, but in rebuilding their communities.

"Do not forget that your people are even richer than this land, for your treasure lies in your values: faith, family, hospitality and work," he said at the outdoor Mass. He called on them especially to "proclaim the Gospel unceasingly."

In a speech at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Duoala, Pope Leo continued this concept, saying that in order for change to occur, students need to lean into moral discernment. 

"No society, in fact, can flourish unless it is grounded in upright consciences, formed in the truth," he said to professors and students April 17. "Do not look the other way: this is a service to the truth and to all humanity." 

Many told CNS the pope’s visit has rekindled hope.

Jeneth Moki said she has lived through years of what she called "sad patience," watching friends and family members die while fearing for her own safety.

"If I go [to my village], I will not come back," Moki said ahead of the April 16 community meeting. "They’re going to abduct me."

The pope himself seemed to recognize both the pain and resilience of the people before him.

"How beautiful are your feet as well, dusty from this bloodstained yet fertile land that has been mistreated yet is rich in vegetation and fruit," he said during the community meeting. "Your feet have brought you this far, and despite the difficulties and obstacles, they have remained on the path of goodness."

Addressing those who have endured years of suffering, Pope Leo said: "Bamenda, today you are the city on the hill, resplendent in the eyes of all! Sisters and brothers, be the salt that continuously gives flavor to this land. Do not lose your flavor, even in the years to come!"

The people at that meeting echoed that optimism. Regina Anchang said some people traveled for hours, days in advance, just to be present for the visit. Out of the entire world, she said, their community feels seen.

"We need nothing more than peace," she said.

Again and again, the pope framed peace not simply as the absence of violence, but as something built through concrete acts of solidarity.

"There is bread for everyone if it is taken, not with a hand that snatches away, but with a hand that gives," Pope Leo said during his homily in Douala, urging both leaders and the community to reject exploitation and choose mutual responsibility.

Each act of solidarity, he said, becomes "a morsel of bread for humanity in need of care," but there also needs to be more.

"This alone is not enough: the food that sustains the body must be accompanied, with equal charity, by nourishment for the soul -- a nourishment that sustains our conscience and steadies us in dark hours of fear and amid the shadows of suffering," the pope said in Douala. 

But translating that call for peace into reality for a country shaped by years of violence and distrust remains a challenge.

Vice president of Cameroon's national bishops’ conference, Bishop Philippe Alain Mbarga of Ebolowa, cautioned that the pope’s visit is not a "magic wand," and that the "walls of tribalism, the walls of hate," must be torn down.

"The people are calling on us to be responsible, to recognize that the destiny of humanity, of the country, is entrusted to us," he said in an interview with Catholic News Service. "They have called on political leaders, religious leaders and civil society to be responsible. Therefore, it is up to each of us to be aware of what is at stake."

Archbishop Fuanya told Pope Leo that the people "shall not waste the chance that your presence offers us to continue to work for peace and justice and reconciliation."

For now, residents return to their routines -- navigating danger and weighing hope against experience. In Bamenda, the voices in the bushes have not disappeared.

But amid the fear, another voice, the successor of Peter, has broken through -- one insisting that even here, in a place marked by violence, peace can still be chosen. 

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM ALGERIA TO CAMEROON (CNS) -- Following three days of public attacks from U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration, Pope Leo XIV did not take questions from reporters in an in-flight press address, redirecting attention, instead, to his international trip across Africa and his spiritual father, St. Augustine.

Heading to the second country of his trip, Cameroon, the pope told journalists in a greeting of less than three and a half minutes that he was grateful for the warm welcome by officials, the people and the “very small, but very significant presence of the Catholic Church” of Algeria. However, he spent much of his address talking about the value of the teachings of this 4th-century saint today. 

“It was a special honor for me to return to Annaba yesterday also to offer the Church and the world the vision that St. Augustine offers us in terms of that search for God and the struggle to build community, to seek for unity among all people, and respect for all peoples in spite of the differences,” he said April 15 on the papal plane. 

Highlighting his stop at the Great Mosque of Algiers, he also reiterated the value of peace. 

“I think the visit to the mosque was significant and to say that although we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshipping, we have different ways of living, we can live together in peace,” he said. “I think that to promote that kind of image is something which the world needs today and that together we can continue to offer and witness as we continue in this apostolic voyage.” 

The pope began his longest international trip thus far April 13 in Algeria, during which time U.S. President Donald Trump called Pope Leo “wrong” on geopolitical issues. When Pope Leo greeted reporters on the papal flight from Rome to Algeria, he addressed the president’s remarks, saying he was not a politician, did not want to enter into a debate with the U.S. president, and would continue to speak out against war. 

Thus far, the White House has only doubled down on its condemnations of the pope’s calls for peace, particularly in the Middle East. 

Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic,  joined in, backing the president in two media appearances April 14, saying to Fox News, “it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of what’s going on in the Catholic Church.”

“And let the President of the United States stick to dictating American public policy,” Vance said in the interview. 

At a Georgia college campus tour organized by conservative media group Turning Point April 14, Vance pushed back on Pope Leo’s Palm Sunday homily that God does not hear the prayers of those who make war, questioning if God was on the side of Allied forces in World War II, liberating Jewish survivors from concentration camps. 

When asked if he would apologize to the pope following Pope Leo’s comments on the papal flight, Trump replied, “No, I don’t because Pope Leo said things that are wrong.” 

Meanwhile, Pope Leo said that even though St. Augustine lived 1600 years ago, his words "have great relevance today." Speaking to Cameroon's President Paul Biya and the diplomatic corps at the presidential palace April 15, the pope said the saint believed those who rule should do so to serve the people, and they should rule "not from a love of power, but from a sense of the duty they owe others." 

"From this perspective, serving one’s country means dedicating oneself, with a clear mind and an upright conscience, to the common good of all people in the nation," he said in his first stop in Cameroon, whose president has led the country since 1982.  

He went further to state that religious traditions can help "inspire prophets of peace, justice, forgiveness and solidarity." When religious leaders are involved in mediation and reconciliation, then politics and diplomacy "can draw upon moral forces capable of easing tensions, preventing extremism and promoting a culture of mutual esteem and respect."

WASHINGTON – In light of recent public comments regarding the Catholic Church’s teaching on war and peace, Bishop James Massa, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, issued the following statement:

“For over a thousand years, the Catholic Church has taught just war theory and it is that long tradition the Holy Father carefully references in his comments on war. A constant tenet of that thousand-year tradition is a nation can only legitimately take up the sword ‘in self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2308). That is, to be a just war it must be a defense against another who actively wages war, which is what the Holy Father actually said: ‘He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.’

“When Pope Leo XIV speaks as supreme pastor of the universal Church, he is not merely offering opinions on theology, he is preaching the Gospel and exercising his ministry as the Vicar of Christ. The consistent teaching of the Church is insistent that all people of good will must pray and work toward lasting peace while avoiding the evils and injustices that accompany all wars.”

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ANNABA, Algeria (CNS) -- In a country marred by hardship, deep faith and hard-won independence, Pope Leo XIV pointed to Algeria as a living witness to what he called the Church's "guiding principle above all," a charity that transcends power, binds community and makes peace. 

Throughout the first leg of his 11-day trip across Africa, the pope returned again and again to one idea: peace comes not through power or dominance, but through a sacrificial love, exemplified in Christ. 

In the Basilica of St. Augustine, his spiritual father, Pope Leo presented the Christians of Algeria as an example of this aspect of the Church’s mission, asking that they remain a humble and faithful sign of Christ's love.

"Your presence in this country is like incense: a glowing grain that spreads fragrance because it gives glory to the Lord and joy and comfort to so many brothers and sisters," he said during his final Mass in the country April 14. 

In his homily, he described a Church of charity, "where there is despair, she kindles hope, where there is misery, she brings dignity, and where there is conflict, she brings reconciliation."

"Therefore, in the face of poverty and oppression, the guiding principle above all for Christians is charity: let us do to those around us, as we would have them do to us," the pope said. "On the contrary, faith in the one God, Lord of heaven and earth, unites people according to perfect justice, which calls everyone to charity -- that is, to love every creature with the love that God gives us in Christ."

In his April 13 address to  Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and the diplomatic corps, he pointed out that Algerians practice "sadaka" (meaning almsgiving and justice) "even for those of limited means," and how their "spirit of solidarity, hospitality and community is woven into the daily lives of millions of humble and upright people."

After being a French colony for more than 130 years, Algeria sought independence in 1954, sparking a war that left an estimated 1.5 million people dead. 

The pope highlighted Algeria's solidarity despite its years of hardship and conflict. He positioned Algeria as a teacher to economically wealthier countries, reframing what development means.

"Indeed, a religion without mercy and a society without solidarity are a scandal in God’s eyes," Pope Leo said. "Yet many societies that consider themselves advanced are plunging ever deeper into inequality and exclusion. Africa knows all too well that people and organizations that dominate others destroy the world, which the Most High has created in order that we might all live together."

During his address April 13 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa, he spoke again on selfless love, saying the Church's work with disabled children shows how charity transcends "material help" and creates "an authentic community, where many people share moments of joy and sorrow, united by bonds of trust, friendship and fellowship." 

He furthered this message when speaking at a nursing home run by the Little Sisters of the Poor, mirroring his repeated message that this sentiment is what builds the kingdom of God.

"Our Father's heart is not with the wicked, the arrogant or the proud," the pope said April 14. "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."

It is precisely through charity that the pope said one performs acts of martyrdom, regardless of one's religion.

"After all, it is precisely love for their brothers and sisters that inspired the witness of the martyrs we have commemorated," he said in the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa. "In the face of hatred and violence, they remained faithful to charity even to the point of sacrificing themselves alongside many other men and women, Christians and Muslims."

Throughout his two-day sojourn in Algeria, he spotlighted the selflessness of martyrs. Pope Leo’s first stop April 13 was the Maqam Echahid Martyrs' Monument, which commemorates those who died during the Algerian War. 

"Our presence here at this monument pays tribute to this history of Algeria and to the very spirit of a people who fought for the independence, dignity and sovereignty of this nation," he said. 

In the beginning of his speech to the diplomatic corps, he recalled the 19 religious men and women who were martyred during the Algerian War. 

By expressing this charitable love, the faithful find the ability to forgive and reconcile, ultimately leading to peace – Pope Leo’s biggest priority at the moment. 

For months, Pope Leo has been relentlessly consistent on his call for peace, particularly following the conflict in the Middle East. Pope Leo presented peace not as a vague ideal, but as a moral calling, rooted in human fraternity, justice and humility. 

 To a country overwhelmingly Muslim -- an estimated 99% identify as Sunni Islam -- he emphasized that Algerians and Christians alike are brothers and sisters because they share “the same Father in heaven.”

"In a world full of conflicts and misunderstandings, let us meet and strive for mutual understanding, recognizing that we are all one family!" he said to the diplomatic corps April 13. "Today, the simplicity of this awareness is the key to opening many doors that are closed."

From the start of his visit, he framed himself as “a pilgrim of peace." The pope said the world cannot continue to "add resentment upon resentment, generation after generation."

"In this place, let us remember that God desires peace for every nation: a peace that is not merely an absence of conflict, but one that is an expression of justice and dignity," he said at the monument. "This peace, which allows us to face the future with a reconciled spirit, is possible only through forgiveness."

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM ITALY TO ALGERIA (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent social media jabs, declaring he harbors "no fear of the Trump administration," while greeting journalists on the first day of his four-country journey around Africa.

Despite provocative remarks from the president, Pope Leo maintained his focus on peace and ending ongoing conflicts around the world.

"I’m not a politician, and I have no intention of getting into a debate with him," he told an Italian television reporter April 13. "Rather, the message has always been the same: to promote peace -- and I say this for all world leaders, not just him."

Trump posted on Truth Social April 12 that Pope Leo was "terrible for foreign policy," and that "Leo should get his act together as Pope." Trump also wrote that the pope should be "thankful," for him.

"He wasn't on any list to be pope and was only put there by the Church because he was an American and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump," he posted. "If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican."

As has been the custom, the pope walked through the aisles of the papal flight, greeting journalists. Many journalists asked Pope Leo about the post just hours after it was published, and he was unusually candid. 

The pope repeatedly reiterated that he was not a politician, did not want to enter into a debate with the U.S. president, and would continue to speak out against war. 

"Too many people are suffering in the world today," he said. "Too many innocent people are being killed and I think someone has to stand up and say there's a better way."

He told the Associated Press that his own comments are not intended to attack anyone.

"To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I think, is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is," Pope Leo said. "I'm sorry to hear that, but I will continue on with what I believe is the mission of the Church in the world today."

He called on all to build bridges of peace and reconciliation as part of the mission of the Church. 

When asked by the New York Times if he saw the Truth Social post, he responded, “It’s ironic -- the name of the site itself. Say no more.”

His comments to the media follow months of Pope Leo's continued remarks, homilies and speeches focused on calls for peace. He held a prayer vigil for peace April 11 at St. Peter’s Basilica, where he warned that "the Church rejecting the logic of war may lead to misunderstanding and scorn." 

In his first stop of his 11-day Africa tour, he told the people of Algeria to seek peace, saying true peace is "not merely an absence of conflict, but one that is an expression of justice and dignity," which leads to a "reconciled spirit," that is "possible only through forgiveness."

"However, as conflicts continue to multiply throughout the world, we cannot add resentment upon resentment, generation after generation," he said. "Mutual respect is the path that enables everyone to walk together."

Following Pope Leo's remarks on the plane, a reporter asked Trump at the White House if he wanted to apologize to the pope.

 "No, I don't because Pope Leo said things that are wrong," Trump said at the White House. "There is nothing to apologize for. He's wrong."

WASHINGTON - Reports detailing harmful conditions faced by pregnant and postpartum mothers detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have become more frequent, despite existing policy that discourages the arrest and detention of such women in most cases.

In response to these reports, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, wrote to recently confirmed Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin and Mr. Todd Lyons, senior official performing the duties of the Director at ICE.

The two bishops urged ICE to abide consistently by its existing policy, avoiding the arrest and detention of pregnant and postpartum mothers, absent exceptional circumstances. They went on to state:

“No matter one’s immigration status, there is no overarching justification for separating nursing infants from their mothers or endangering the health and safety of pregnant women or their preborn babies. In this regard, we urge you in the strongest possible terms to extend the Administration’s commitments on life to all vulnerable mothers, infants, and children in the womb.”

The bishops also took the opportunity to congratulate the Secretary on his confirmation and assured him of their prayers as he continues his service to the country.

The full text of their letter may be found on the USCCB’s website. 

Their letter follows a joint statement made last May by Bishop Thomas and Bishop Cahill’s predecessor on pregnant and postpartum mothers and infants in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody, as well as a statement by Bishop Thomas in January, welcoming pro-life actions taken by the Administration.

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