During Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Pilgrimage to Africa, Archbishop Andrew Nkea delivered a bold and candid address, disappointing critics of the Church as the world observed the unfolding situation in crisis-ridden Bamenda, Cameroon.
Archbishop Nkea’s remarks at the St. Joseph’s Metropolitan Cathedral in Mankon, Bamenda, on Thursday, 16 April 2026, underscored the 8-year humanitarian crisis in the region and the role of the Pope as a beacon of hope.
While addressing the over 20,000 people, including religious and traditional leaders who have been traumatised by over four decades of bad leadership, corruption and sectarian violence, Pope Leo listened kindly to Archbishop Nkea deliver one of the most emotional speeches by an African Bishop in recent times.
In his address during the “meeting of peace,” Archbishop Nkea spoke about the profound suffering of the people in the Northwest and Southwest regions due to the ongoing Anglophone crisis.
Without mincing words, the African religious leader directly highlighted the region’s challenges to the Pontiff, detailing the long-term suffering of the people, the closure of businesses, and the denial of education, noting that many priests and bishops have been targeted during the conflict. He concluded by framing the Church’s continued mission as a “light of hope” for a traumatised population.
Archbishop Andrew Nkea delivering his speech at the St. Joseph’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Mankon, Bamenda on Thursday, 16 April 2026. Credit: CRTV.
Recognition of Suffering and Its Impact on Society
“Most Holy Father… we have seen a lot of suffering for the past eight years. Many of our people have suffered a lot from a situation they did not create. Thousands are either internally displaced or escaped as refugees,” he boldly told the Pope.
According to commentators, the prelate spoke the truth with clarity, the way ordinary Cameroonians would have expected it.
Archbishop Nkea explicitly stated that the people have seen “a lot of suffering for the past eight years,” adding that regretfully, thousands of internally displaced persons and refugees have fled a situation “they did not create.”
Archbishop Nkea delivering his speech
He lamented that “Businesses were shutdown and for about four years, our children were not allowed to go to school. Children were used as a political bait.”
Archbishop Nkea highlighted the severe disruption of life, including businesses being shut down and children being denied an education for roughly four years, often used as “political bait.”
Targeting of the Clergy
The former Bishop of Mamfe diocese noted that many priests, religious figures, and bishops in the province have been “harassed, beaten, kidnapped or even killed” during the conflict.
The Metropolitan Archbishop of Bamenda and President of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC) courageously spoke about the intimidation and even killing of clergymen and consecrated persons for standing up to the regime in Cameroon.
“Many priests, religious and Bishops of this Province have either been harassed, beaten, kidnapped or even killed in this conflict. Yet, the Church continues to carry the gospel as the light of hope among a traumatized people,” he said.
Pope Leo as Messenger of Peace, who provides the Miracle of Presence
During the powerful welcome address, the Archbishop acknowledged that the Vicar of Christ is a messenger of peace by likening his arrival to a “great light” for people walking in darkness, calling him an “ambassador of reconciliation” and a “promoter of justice.”
He lauded the Holy Father’s miracle of presence, adding that the coming of the successor of St. Peter to a remote part of Africa is “a tangible miracle,” for a region seeking reconciliation.
The 60-year-old prelate emphasized that the visit itself has brought about immediate physical “miracles,” such as the reopening of the Bamenda airport and the sudden repair of roads and installation of streetlights, which had been neglected for years.
Advocatus Africa gathered that while Archbishop Nkea had met with Pope Francis in Rome in September 2023 to discuss the conflict, the recent address at the Cathedral in Bamenda was specially given to his successor, Pope Leo.
