YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon (RNS) — Pope Leo XIV arrived in Cameroon on Wednesday afternoon (April 15) to jubilant crowds, stepping into a country where many see his visit as far more than a pastoral journey.

For thousands of Cameroonians, especially in the English-speaking northwest, which has seen violent conflict for a decade, the pope’s presence carries the weight of something deeper: the possibility that a nation wounded by years of violence might begin, however cautiously, to imagine peace again.

The apostolic visit spanning four days, part of the pontiff’s first major African tour, comes at a rare moment. Ahead of his arrival, separatist groups operating in the northwest and southwest regions announced a three-day ceasefire to allow safe passage for pilgrims and civilians traveling to papal events in Yaoundé, Bamenda and Douala.

For residents who have lived for nearly 10 years under the sound of gunfire, roadblocks and fear amid the ongoing violent conflict, even a brief silence has become symbolic. Since 2017, separatist fighters who declared independence from the majority French-speaking state have battled government forces in a conflict that has killed more than 6,000 people and displaced over 600,000.

“This is a moment many people here have prayed for,” said Mbah Tikum, a Catholic living in Bamenda. “For years, we have buried loved ones, fled our homes and watched our communities break apart. The pope’s coming gives people hope that peace is still possible.”

The emotional center of Pope Leo’s trip is expected to come Thursday in Bamenda, the principal city in Cameroon’s English-speaking northwest and one of the epicenters of the conflict, known as the Anglophone Crisis. The pope is expected to preside over an interfaith peace meeting bringing together a traditional Mankon chief, a Presbyterian church leader, an imam and a Catholic nun. It appears to be a deliberate gesture in a region where faith leaders across traditions have often served as some of the few trusted moral voices. 

Later in the day, he will celebrate a Mass for peace and justice at Bamenda International Airport, an event expected to draw thousands from across denominational and ethnic lines.

Speaking to RNS ahead of the visit, Monsignor William Neba, one of the Catholic Church officials involved in preparations for the pope’s trip, said Leo’s presence in Bamenda speaks directly to the suffering the region has endured.

“This visit comes at a time when our people have gone through years of pain, uncertainty and loss,” Neba said. “The Holy Father is coming as a shepherd who wishes to stand with those who are suffering and to pray with them for healing, peace and justice.”

Beyond Catholicism

In Bamenda, the pope’s visit is being watched closely beyond the Catholic community. Cameroon’s estimated population of around 30 million is diverse religiously, with 38% identifying as Roman Catholic, around 30% as Protestant and 24% as Muslim, among other religions observed, according to the U.S. Department of State. 

“This is not only a Catholic story,” said Simon Ngong, an evangelical pastor in the city. “This is a national moment for all of us who have lived through this conflict.”

Ngong said the decision by separatist groups to pause hostilities ahead of the visit has already given residents a glimpse of what normalcy could feel like.

“For a few days, people are moving more freely, and there is less fear on the roads,” he said. “That alone shows what peace can mean in practical terms.”

The pastor added that faith leaders across traditions have a responsibility to use the pope’s visit as an opportunity to push for dialogue. “When people see religious leaders standing together — Catholic, Presbyterian, Muslim, evangelical, traditional authorities — it sends a message that reconciliation is bigger than politics,” he said.

The visit also comes amid broader national strains. Cameroon continues to face insecurity linked to the jihadist group Boko Haram in the far north, while frustrations persist around unemployment, inequality and the uneven distribution of wealth from the country’s rich mineral and oil resources. For many observers, Leo’s visit offers a chance to speak to those wider wounds.

A nation searching for healing

Beyond the immediate symbolism of the ceasefire, many Cameroonians see the papal visit as an opportunity for the country to confront the human cost of nearly a decade of unrest. In the northwest and southwest, schools have been shut down intermittently, businesses have collapsed and families have been uprooted from communities they once called home. Churches and faith-based groups have often become places of refuge, counseling and mediation.

For many residents, the interfaith character of Thursday’s peace gathering in Bamenda is especially significant.

“It shows that peace is not the responsibility of one church or one institution,” Ngong said. “It is the work of all of us.”

The pope’s decision to bring together voices from traditional leadership, Christian churches and the Muslim community is being widely interpreted as an acknowledgment that lasting peace in Cameroon must be broader than political negotiations alone.

For ordinary residents, however, the most immediate impact has been the rare calm that has settled over parts of Bamenda.

“People are moving around today with less fear than usual,” Tikum said. “Even children can sense the difference.”

In Douala, preparations are also intensifying for the pope’s public events later in the trip. Douala Archdiocese chancellor Serge Eboa, who has been coordinating logistics in the economic capital for the visit, said communities have mobilized in large numbers to receive the pontiff.

“People are preparing not simply to welcome a religious leader, but to welcome a messenger of hope,” Eboa told RNS. “The excitement on the ground is enormous.”

He said church organizers have encouraged people from across the city and surrounding regions to line the roads and gather at the main venues, emphasizing that access remains open.

“We want this to be a moment where every person feels included,” he said. “The pope’s message is one of peace, healing and solidarity.”

For many in Bamenda, however, the most powerful message may not be spoken from the altar but felt in the temporary quiet that has settled over a city long accustomed to violence.

“Even if this visit does not solve everything immediately, it reminds us that we have not been forgotten,” Tikum said.