Pope Leo XIV Draws Over 120,000 in Cameroon, Warns of AI Dangers
Pope Leo XIV concluded his visit to Cameroon with an open-air Mass in Douala, attracting over 120,000 attendees. This gathering marked the largest crowd thus far during his extensive 11-day tour of Africa, which has seen him visit Algeria, and is set to continue to Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
Message of Peace Amidst Regional Tensions
Arriving in Douala after a visit to Cameroon’s Anglophone region—a territory marred by a decade-long rebellion—the Pontiff reiterated his appeal for peace. His message on Friday largely centred on spiritual guidance for young people, urging them to cultivate their talents and contribute positively to their communities, whilst explicitly rejecting “every form of abuse or violence.”
Warnings on Artificial Intelligence and Resource Extraction
In the capital, Yaounde, Pope Leo XIV delivered a stark warning regarding the proliferation of artificial intelligence, asserting that it fosters “polarisation, conflict, fear and violence.” He contended that the ubiquity of simulated realities risked disconnecting individuals from objective truth, creating insular “bubbles” that hinder dialogue and encourage hostility towards difference. Furthermore, the Pontiff condemned the “relentless pursuit of raw material and rare earths,” highlighting the extractive practices in Africa—such as the mining of cobalt—that are essential for the global electronics industry and, by extension, the expansion of AI technologies. This critique implicitly challenges the material interests driving Western technological advancement, often at the expense of African nations.
