Pope Publicly Condemns 'handful Of Tyrants'

The harsh statement was made by the pontiff during his visit to Cameroon.

The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, has sharply criticized world leaders who spend billions of dollars on wars and said the modern world is being ravaged by "a handful of tyrants". Such a harsh statement was made by the pontiff during his visit to Cameroon, days after he was openly criticized by US President Donald Trump.

In his remarks, Leo XIV, the first US citizen elected to head the Roman Catholic Church, condemned political leaders who use religious rhetoric to justify their own wars. Addressing the faithful in the largest city in Cameroon's Anglophone regions, where a simmering armed conflict that began nearly a decade ago has claimed thousands of lives in recent years, the pontiff called for a "decisive change of course."

The armed conflict in Cameroon, which has essentially turned into a civil war, began in late 2017 in the country's Anglophone regions, which is why it is often referred to as the "Anglophone Crisis." Another common name is the Ambazonian War, as separatists in the northwest and southwest of the country attempt to win independence for the self-declared Republic of Ambazonia from the French-speaking majority.

"The masters of warfare pretend not to realize that a moment is enough to destroy, but often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild. They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and destruction, but the resources needed for healing, education and reconstruction are nowhere to be found," the Pope criticized politicians who knowingly go into armed conflict.

According to the Reuters, Trump's public attacks on the pope, first heard on the eve of the pontiff's ambitious tour of four African countries and repeated late Tuesday night, have sparked resentment in Africa, home to more than a fifth of the world's Catholics.

Leo XIV, who has kept relatively low profile for most of his first year as head of the 1.4 billion-member Church, has recently become a vocal critic of the war. The trigger for the public and categorical criticism was U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Speaking in the English-speaking city of Bamenda, the pontiff also sharply criticized leaders who have used religious themes to justify wars.

"Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, plunging the sacred into darkness and abomination. This is a world turned upside down, an exploitation of God's creation that every honest conscience must condemn and reject," Leo XIV stated categorically.

The pope made similar statements last month, saying God rejects the prayers of leaders with "hands full of blood." As Reuters noted, those words by the pontiff were interpreted by many in the United States as criticism of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth personally, who has repeatedly used Christian language to justify war with Iran.

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