Pope Leo XIV greeted by crowd of 120,000 in Cameroon as he attacks uneven distribution of wealth

The crowd cheered as Leo appeared in his open popemobile, with waves of young people running alongside him trying to keep up as he weaved through the crowd. Some had spent the night on land, fighting mosquitoes, to be there for the late morning mass, but said they were ready to make the sacrifice for the pope.

“I wanted to offer this effort to the pope, to show him that what he does and what he wants to accomplish must really come to life,” said Alex Nzumo, who arrived at mass on crutches.

In his homily, delivered in French and English, Léon cited the biblical story of Jesus’ multiplication of the loaves to urge young people to “multiply their talents through faith, perseverance and friendship.”

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“Be the first faces and the first hands that bring the bread of life to your neighbors, providing them with the nourishment of wisdom and delivering them from everything that does not nourish them, but on the contrary obscures good desires and deprives them of their dignity,” he said.

Leo urged them to look beyond the poverty and disillusionment many are experiencing and look to the future with hope.

“Do not give in to distrust and discouragement,” he said. “Remember that your people are even richer than this land, because your treasure lies in your values: faith, family, hospitality and work.”

“Do not allow yourself to be corrupted by temptations that waste your energies and do not serve the progress of society,” the pontiff said.

Later Friday, back in the capital, Youandé, Leo met with students, professors and administrators from the Catholic University of Central Africa.