HARARE, April 16. /TASS/. Pope Leo XIV sharply criticized world leaders who use religious rhetoric to justify war and spend billions of dollars on military operations.

The world is "being ravaged by a handful of tyrants," the Pope said during a speech in Cameroon, where he arrived as part of his African tour.

"The masters of war pretend not to know that it ·takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild," Reuters quoted him as saying.

"They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found. Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth," the pontiff said.

In recent weeks, Pope Leo XIV has delivered a series of strong anti-war sermons that have been seen as criticism of the US administration’s actions in the Middle East. On April 13, following his remarks, US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that the pontiff "is weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy." According to Trump, had it not been for his presidency, an American would not have been elected pope. On April 4, Leo said that "domination is entirely foreign to the way of Jesus Christ." His remarks came amid calls by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth to pray for the victory of US soldiers "in the name of Jesus Christ."

Pope Leo XIV delivered his speech in the city of Bamenda, in the English-speaking part of Cameroon, which has been affected by an armed separatist conflict since 2017, resulting in more than 6,500 deaths and over half a million displaced people. During his apostolic journey, the pontiff has already visited Algeria and is set to travel to Angola and Equatorial Guinea after Cameroon.