Pope Leo decries world ravaged by ‘tyrants’ following Trump’s insults

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Democracy Dies in Darkness

The pontiff did not specifically name the president during his speech in Cameroon. He sharply criticized those who manipulate religion “for their own military, economic or political gain.”

April 16, 2026 at 10:17 a.m. EDT1 minute ago

Pope Leo XIV gives a speech in Bamenda, Cameroon, criticizing world leaders for what he described as spending billions on “killing and devastation.” (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)

Pope Leo XIV delivered a forceful appeal for peace and condemned what he described as “a handful of tyrants” who are ravaging the world, in a speech on Thursday during a tour of Africa.

Leo’s speech, delivered in northwestern Cameroon, came days after President Donald Trump sharply criticized the first U.S.-born pontiff in an online screed and posted an apparently AI-generated image that appeared to depict himself as Jesus.