(LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo XIV called on young people in Africa to resist emigration and corruption, and to work for the good of their own countries.
On April 17, Pope Leo XIV addressed students and faculty at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaoundé and later celebrated Mass in Douala, urging African youth to remain in their homeland, combat corruption through moral integrity, and contribute to national development, during the midpoint of his pastoral journey to four African nations.
“Do not give in to distrust and discouragement,” the Pope said during the Mass in Douala. “Do not forget that your people are even richer than this land, for your treasure lies in your values: faith, family, hospitality, and work.”
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The Pope identified corruption and the emigration of skilled young people as two central challenges facing African countries. Speaking in the capital, Yaoundé, he argued that “in the face of the understandable tendency to migrate – which may lead one to believe that elsewhere a better future may be more easily found – I invite you, first and foremost, to respond with an ardent desire to serve your country and to apply the knowledge you are acquiring here to the benefit of your fellow citizens,” adding that “Africa must be freed from the scourge of corruption.”
In Douala, the Pope remarked: “[d]espite the richness of the land in Cameroon, many experience both material and spiritual poverty.… Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives by promising easy gains but hardens the heart and makes it insensitive.… Be, therefore, protagonists of the future, following the vocation that God gives to each of you. Do not let yourselves be corrupted by temptations that waste your energies and do not serve the progress of society.”
Vatican officials had initially anticipated attendance of around 600,000 people. However, after the event, the Holy See, citing local organizers, reported that approximately 120,000 individuals were present. Organizers indicated that security measures and road closures may have prevented many from reaching the site, which was located outside the city.
Cameroon, with a population of approximately 30.5 million, is characterized by a notably young demographic, with a median age of 19. Catholics account for about 38 percent of the population, and the country has become an important source of priestly vocations and Church growth in recent years.
At the same time, the country faces economic challenges that have contributed to a substantial outflow of skilled professionals. The healthcare sector, in particular, has been affected, as doctors and nurses increasingly seek employment opportunities in Europe and North America.
Cameroon has been governed since 1982 by President Paul Biya, now 93 years old, who secured an eighth consecutive term in office after last year’s elections. Those elections were contested, reflecting ongoing political tensions within the country.
In recent years, numerous progressive bishops – especially in the United States – have opposed immigration‑control policies, advocating instead for broader liberalization. However, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:
The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.
Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens (2241).