Blunt-speaking Pope tells Cameroon to root out corruption to find peace

Pope Leo XIV has told Cameroon's government to root out corruption during a forthright address on the second leg of his African tour."In order for peace and justice to prevail, the chains of corruption - which disfigure authority and strip it of its credibility - must be broken," he told those gathered at the presidential palace in the capital, Yaoundé, including President Paul Biya.The 93-year-old president won an eighth term last year in a disputed poll and his administration faces criticism over allegations of corruption, bad governance and a failure to tackle security.The Pope is now in Cameroon's English-speaking regions, where a separatist insurgency has raged for nearly a decade.He is expected to pray for peace at a Mass in the city of Bamenda, the centre of the violence which has left at least 6,000 people dead and many more forced from their homes.Excited crowds lined the streets to welcome Pope Leo. Earlier Anglophone separatists had announced a period of "safe travel passage" to accommodate his visit."Security is a priority, but it must always be exercised with respect for human rights," the 70-year-old pontiff said on Wednesday, alluding to the brutal conflict.Since 2017, those seeking to create a breakaway state in Cameroon's two Anglophone regions have been fighting government forces.