Pope Leo has criticized leaders who spend billions on wars and said the world was being ravaged by a handful of tyrants in unusually forceful comments during a visit to Cameroon.
The pontiff blasted those he said had manipulated the very name of God for their own gain, touring a region affected by a deadly insurgency.
His remarks follow a high-profile spate with U.S. President Donald Trump, who posted a lengthy attack on Pope Leo, a vocal critic of the U.S.-Israeli military operation in Iran.
The Pope expressed concern over Trump's threats that a whole civilization will die if Iran does not comply with U.S. demands.
During his Africa tour, Pope Leo stated that leaders who ignore the atrocities caused by warfare spend immense amounts on constructing weapons, leading to devastation while leaving resources for essential services lacking.
During a speech in the northwestern city of Bamenda, the Pope remarked, The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild. He insisted that peace should not be an invention but a choice embraced by accepting one another.
The ongoing violence in Cameroon has resulted in at least 6,000 deaths and displaced many individuals, as separatist insurgents clash with a predominantly Francophone government.
Pope Leo's tour comprises 11 cities in four countries, highlighting the crucial role of Catholicism in Africa where over a fifth of the world's Catholics reside.
