Pope Leo appeals to Africa’s youth during largest Mass of his papacy
Pope Leo XIV on Friday imparted a message of encouragement to Africa’s youth at a Mass attended by more than 100,000 people in Cameroon.
“Do not give in to distrust and discouragement,” the head of the Catholic Church said at the service in Douala, Cameroon’s largest city and a stop on his 10-day trip to the continent.
“Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives by promising easy gains but hardens the heart and makes it insensitive.”
In his homily, Leo again addressed the numerous conflicts and vast disparities between rich and poor on the African continent, where he said there are many people “who, like ourselves, hunger for peace, freedom and justice.”
An estimated 120,000 people attended the Mass in front of a large stadium in the West African city. Many had set out on foot early that morning to cheer the pope.
Following Algeria, Cameroon is the second stop on Leo’s tour before he travels on to Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
Catholicism is growing in Africa: Of the world’s approximately 1.4 billion Catholics, 20.3% now come from Africa.
Currently, around 290 million Catholics live there – now even more than in Europe, and many of them are young. High youth unemployment is one of the continent’s major problems.
