Pope Leo on Wednesday called on Cameroon's government to root out corruption and resist the "temptations of the wealthy and powerful" in a forceful speech delivered in the presence of President Paul Biya, who has led the country since 1982.
Leo, who was criticized by U.S. President Donald Trump for the second time during his 10-day tour of four African nations, also appealed for an end to Cameroon's raging Anglophone conflict, which has killed thousands.
"It is time to examine our conscience and take a courageous step forward. For peace and justice to prevail, the chains of corruption, which disfigure authority and strip it of its credibility, must be broken," Leo said in an unusually direct speech for a papal trip abroad.
Biya listened to the Pope's address without any visible reaction. His government denies allegations of corruption and human rights abuses and says the stability he brings allows Cameroon to avoid the kind of conflict seen elsewhere in the region, including war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic.
Leo, who will mark one year as Pope in May, kept a relatively low profile as Pope in the first 10 months of his tenure, but in recent weeks has become outspoken on a range of issues, particularly Iran's war. This has made him a target this week for criticism from Trump, who repeated his comments in a social media post on Tuesday, despite widespread backlash from American Christians across the political spectrum.