Pope Leo XIV on the papal plane
Pope: I am in Africa to encourage Catholics, not to
debate with Trump
On the flight to Luanda, Angola, the third leg of his
Apostolic Journey, Pope Leo XIV greets the journalists who have accompanied him
in recent days and thanks Cameroon for its extraordinary welcome. He also clarifies
that his speeches were prepared weeks in advance. They should not be
interpreted "as if I was trying to debate again with the president, which
is not in my interest at all," he says.
By Salvatore Cernuzio – On the Yaoundé/Luanda flight
Pope Leo XIV gave a positive assessment of the three days
just spent in Cameroon, a country that “represents the heart of Africa in many
different ways, both English-speaking and French-speaking, and around 250 local
languages.”
On the flight to Angola, the third leg of his Apostolic
Journey across Africa, the Pope greeted the journalists traveling with him,
just minutes after take-off, in order to thank them for their work, but also to
clarify some issues regarding how his words in recent days have been
interpreted.
An inaccurate narrative
“There’s been a certain narrative that has not been accurate
in all of its aspects, but because of the political situation created when on
the first day of the trip the President of the United States made some comments
about me,” Pope Leo said.
He was referring to accusations that U.S. President Donald
Trump had directed at him at the beginning of the week, to which the Pope had
already responded during the flight departing from Rome.
But while the U.S. president—and also Vice President JD
Vance—continued in the following days with comments criticising the Pope, for
Pope Leo, the matter was already closed from the first day. Hence his remark to
journalists.
“Much of what has been written since then has been more
commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said,” Pope Leo XIV
stressed.
One example is the important speech delivered at the Prayer
Meeting for Peace on April 16. That speech, the Pope explained, “was prepared two
weeks ago, well before the person had ever commented on me and on the message
of peace that I am promoting. And yet as it happens, it was viewed as if I was
trying to debate again with the president, which is not in my interest at all.”
Building peace and dialogue among faiths
As he did on the outbound journey, Pope Leo reiterated his
mission: “I primarily come to Africa as pastor, as the head of the Catholic
Church, to be with, to celebrate with, to encourage and accompany all of the
Catholics throughout Africa.”
The visit also has other dimensions, and the Pope mentioned
in this regard the “very fine meeting” he had with a group of imams at the
Apostolic Nunciature in Yaoundé. He emphasized the need to “continue to promote
- as we've done in other places already and as Pope Francis has done during his
pontificate - dialogue, promotion of fraternity, understanding, acceptance,
peace-building with people of all faiths.”
The Pope also expressed satisfaction with yesterday’s
meeting at the Catholic University of Central Africa, where he blessed a
“beautiful monument” featuring a map of Africa with Saint Augustine at the
center. This sculpture, he explained, “expresses part of what this Church is
about.
Proclaiming the Gospel
In his greeting, the Pope also addressed the pressing issue
of the “unequal distribution of wealth” found across the African continent.
Cameroon, in particular, he noted, is a country that is rich in
opportunities.
Now Angola, a journey that continues: “We continue
proclaiming the Gospel message”, said the Pope, highlighting the beauty of
being Christian, “of what it's about to follow Christ, of what it's about to
promote fraternity, brotherhood, trusting in the Lord, but also looking for
ways to promote justice in our world. Promote peace in our world.”
A word of thanks to Cameroon
Through the only Cameroonian journalist present on the papal
flight, Charles Ebune of Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV), Pope Leo XIV
expressed his gratitude to all the people of Cameroon: “for the wonderful welcome,
the great enthusiasm, the joy of the people. It was absolutely fantastic. The
experience of the faith community people who really discovered in the shared
enthusiasm…how wonderful it is to experience what it means to be a follower of
Jesus Christ and to celebrate our faith together”. The Pope expressed how “very
happy” he is “to have had this experience”.
“See you in Angola”
Finally, another word of gratitude to the approximately 70
journalists on board the plane:
“I'm very happy to greet all of you, and thank you for the
work that you're doing. I hope that the Lord will continue to bless all of us
on this trip.” The Pope concluded with a “See you in Angola!”.
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