Pope Leo XIV urged Africa’s youth population on Friday to solve the continent’s economic and corruption problems rather than migrate elsewhere.
The pope, speaking to a crowd of university students and teachers from the Catholic University of Central Africa in Cameroon’s capital city of Yaounde, said that the continent “must be freed from the scourge of corruption” while urging the young to lead the charge, according to a transcript released by The Holy See. The remarks came as the Pope was embarking on an 11-day pastoral visit to the continent, which includes Angola, Algeria and Equatorial Ghana.
“In the face of the understandable tendency to migrate — which may lead one to believe that elsewhere a better future may be more easily found — I invite you, first and foremost, to respond with an ardent desire to serve your country and to apply the knowledge you are acquiring here to the benefit of your fellow citizens,” the pope said.
El Papa León XIV contraprograma el relato migracionista e invita a los jóvenes africanos a que permanezcan en su nación.
«La tendencia migratoria puede llevar a creer que en otros lugares se puede encontrar un futuro mejor. Es mejor que sirvan a su país».pic.twitter.com/jnJGGkvuod— P. Juan Manuel Góngora (@patergongora) April 19, 2026
Millions of Africans have migrated to places such as Europe and North Africa, with around 11 million Africans moving to the European Union, according to the World Migration Report from the International Organization of Migration. However, the number of Africans moving to other countries on the continent also grew to 19 million in 2020, the report found.
Africans have experienced bloody conflicts, including in Somalia, Nigeria and Sudan. Citizens in African nations have also witnessed wide-spread corruption, with bribery allegations continuing to be a major concern.
Poverty has also been a consistent, widespread problem on the continent, with around 35.5% of the population living on less than $1.90 per day, according to Outreach International.
“The greatness of a nation cannot be measured solely by the abundance of its natural resources, nor even by the material wealth of its institutions,” Leo continued. “No society, in fact, can flourish unless it is grounded in upright consciences, formed in the truth.”
Leo made similar remarks during a mass at the port city of Douala, Cameroon, earlier in the day, the Associated Press reported. He commented that the country’s population is “even richer than this land, for [their] treasure lies in [their] values: faith, family, hospitality and work.”
The remarks come days after President Donald Trump slammed the Pope on Truth Social, calling the Pope “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for foreign policy.” The president also knocked the pope for his comments on the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro in January.
“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country,” the president’s post read in part.
In a rare public rebuke, Leo brushed off the comments from the president, stating that he did not fear any retribution from the administration.
“I will not enter into debate. The things that I say are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone. The message of the Gospel is very clear: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,’” Leo told reporters at the time. “I will not shy away from announcing the message of the Gospel and inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges of peace and reconciliation, and looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible.”
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