An estimated 120,000 worshippers and onlookers packed into Douala’s Japoma Stadium on Friday to join Pope Leo XIV for an open-air Mass, marking the largest gathering of his 11-day pan-African apostolic journey. The event comes on the heels of the pontiff’s Thursday visit to Cameroon’s restive Anglophone region, where a separatist insurgency has gripped the area for more than a decade.
Jubilant crowds lined the route to the stadium as Pope Leo XIV traveled through the crowd in the Popemobile, greeting the throngs of waiting devotees with warm waves. Many attendees had gone to extraordinary lengths to secure a good vantage point, with some camping outside the stadium grounds as early as Thursday night – waiting more than 24 hours in total to see the pontiff. Despite sweltering tropical temperatures, devotees of all generations, including dozens of local clergy, turned out to participate in the historic occasion.
During his address at the Mass, Pope Leo centered his remarks on spiritual guidance for Cameroon’s youth, urging young people to nurture diverse talents and invest in the well-being of their local communities. “Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives by promising easy gains but hardens the heart and makes it insensitive,” he told the crowd. “Do not let yourselves be corrupted by temptations that waste your energies and do not serve the progress of society,” he added.
Many attendees who spoke to media after the service shared that they felt profound joy at the opportunity to see and hear from the Pope, reflecting widespread hope among Cameroonians that his visit will help advance peace efforts across the conflict-affected nation. Photographs from the event show worshippers adapting to the harsh heat: some held up umbrellas or books to block the harsh sun, while others wiped sweat from their brows throughout the service. Devotion took many forms across the packed crowd, with some clasping hands in quiet prayer and others prostrating themselves to honor the pontiff’s visit.
The Douala Mass falls on the fifth day of Pope Leo’s 11-day Africa tour, and his third full day in Cameroon. Before arriving in the Central African nation, the Pope launched his journey in Algeria, marking the first time any sitting Pope has visited the majority-Muslim North African country. Following his time in Cameroon, Pope Leo will travel to Angola on Saturday, before concluding his continental trip in Equatorial Guinea. Beyond the public Mass, the pontiff also made a pastoral visit to Douala’s St Paul Catholic Hospital during his time in the coastal economic hub.