Pope Francis to Madagascar authorities: Your biodiversity is in danger of deforestation

Published on Sep 7, 2019

Pope Francis’ first event in Madagascar was a meeting with the country’s president and civil authorities. It’s customary that the first meetings the pope holds when he visits a country are with political and social representatives and the diplomatic corps.

The president was the first to speak. He welcomed the pope with emotion, saying that his visit was a sign that Madagascar has not been forgotten.

“Your holiness, here you are on friendly ground, you are at home. My home is your home.”

In his speech, the pope insisted on the necessity of a policy at the service of the common good, especially for the most vulnerable citizens.

POPE FRANCIS
“I would encourage you to fight with strength and determination against all endemic forms of corruption and speculation that increase social disparity, and to confront the situations of great instability and exclusion that always create conditions of inhumane poverty.”

Pope Francis said that the integral development of a person should be accompanied by the care of the common home. He explained that it’s necessary to find a balance to preserve nature while ensuring that people can live with dignity.

POPE FRANCIS
“Your lovely island of Madagascar is rich in plant and animal biodiversity, yet this treasure is especially threatened by excessive deforestation, from which some profit.”
“So it is important to create jobs and activities that generate income, while protecting the environment and helping people to emerge from poverty.”

For this to happen, the pope said that Madagascar needs the help of the international community, but at the same time, the Malagasy people must take charge of its own future.

POPE FRANCIS
“If we participate in a process respectful of local values and ways of life and of the expectations of citizens, we will ensure that the aid furnished by the international community will not be the sole guarantee of a country’s development. The people itself will progressively take charge and become the artisan of its own future.”

The meeting ended with the songs of a children’s choir.

To conclude the meeting, the president and the pope planted a baobab tree, the tree symbolizing the African continent.

Pope Francis to Madagascar nuns: speak up when something disturbs your peace

ROME REPORTS in English

Published on Sep 7, 2019

The pope arrived at the Monastery of Discalced Carmelites in Antananarivo to pray with the nuns. The solemnity of the event did not prevent the nuns from showing their joy when Pope Francis entered the church.

After praying, Pope Francis gave a paperless speech to more than 100 contemplative nuns. He spoke of St. Teresa de Lisieux, a Carmelite who he feels a devotion for whose life in the convent was not easy.

The pope focused his speech on life in the community. He asked the nuns to live with charity among themselves and obedience to their superior, even if it was difficult.

POPE FRANCIS
“Always speak with transparency in your heart. Always speak because you will win. Although it was uncomfortable, Teresa went to the prioress to speak.”
“It’s true that not all prioresses have the Nobel prize in sympathy, but they represent Jesus.”

He also warned them of the dangers of worldliness entering the convent.

POPE FRANCIS
“Know how to discern with the prioress, with the community in chapter, to discern the voices of worldliness. Let them not enter. Worldliness is not one of you.”
“When thoughts of worldliness come to you, close the doors on them and think of small acts of love. This is what saves the world.”

The pope asked them to speak up when something or someone makes life in the community difficult.

POPE FRANCIS
“Please sisters, when you feel uncomfortable, please speak up immediately.”
“My advice is that when something disturbs your peace, speak immediately.”

The pope encouraged them to help one another because this is how they defend holiness and love within the community.

Pope to Madagascar bishops: Pay attention to seminarians, do not put the wolf among sheep

ROME REPORTS in English

Published on Sep 7, 2019

Pope Francis met with the bishops of Madagascar in the Andohalo Cathedral.

In his speech, he asked them to be close to the concerns of all citizens of their country, regardless of their religion.

With an explanatory example, the pope also told demonstrated being a pastor is quite similar to soccer.

POPE FRANCIS
“The pastor is like the goalie of the soccer team. He knows how to stop the ball wherever it comes from. He knows how to face reality as it comes.”

He also gave them advice: remain close to God, the people and especially their priests, a bishop’s closest comrade.

POPE FRANCIS
“If your secretary tells you a priest called, that same day or at least the following day, return the call. You may not have time to receive him, but call him. That way he will know he has a father.”

Finally, the pope asked them to select the seminarians very carefully.

POPE FRANCIS
“In some European countries, a lack of vocations pushes the bishop to accept seminarians from here and there. It’s unfortunate because they don’t know what their lives were like. They accept those who have been thrown out of other seminaries or those who have been expelled from religious life for immoral reasons. Please pay attention! Do not let the wolf into the flock.”

Then Pope Francis greeted all the bishops of Madagascar and they took this family photo.

Before leaving the cathedral, the pope prayed a few moments before the tomb of Victoire Rasoamanarivo, beatified by John Paul II 30 years ago, during his visit to the country. She was the first Blessed from Malagascar.

Pope to youth from Madagascar: with Jesus, there are always new horizons

ROME REPORTS in English

Published on Sep 7, 2019

Far from slowing down, Pope Francis ended his first day in Madagascar with those who have the most energy, young people.

They received him with these dances at the beginning of the encounter.

Then Pope Francis listened to the testimony of two young people. The first, Rova, explained that for years he has been a volunteer in a prison with the inmates. The second girl told him she prays every day for her parents to go to church.

The pope referred to Rova’s experience to describe that God always looks at people with love and not with a judgmental look.

POPE FRANCIS
He does not call us by our sins, our errors, our faults, our limits, but by our name; each of us is precious in His eyes. The devil also knows our names, but he would rather call us by constantly reminding us of our sins and errors. In this way, he makes us feel that however much we do, nothing can ever change, everything will remain the same.

The pope wanted to encourage them. He asked that, despite the many difficulties they experience, they not get carried away by bitterness or shallow promises.

POPE FRANCIS
The Lord is the first to tell you no! This is not the way to go. He is alive and He also wants you to be alive. He wants you to share all your gifts and charisms, all your dreams and your talents.
With Jesus, there are always new horizons. He wants to change us and to make our lives a mission. He tells us not to be afraid to get our hands dirty.

Following the pope’s words, the party continued. The young people wanted to show him another dance.

Finally, filled with excitement they couldn’t contain, everyone rushed to greet Pope Francis.

Pope celebrates Mass in Madagascar: Let’s not stand idly by evil

ROME REPORTS in English

Published on Sep 8, 2019

Despite the wind and cold, one million people spent the night on this field near Antananarivo to participate in Sunday Mass with the pope in Madagascar.

That’s why the pope spent a lot of time traveling the popemobile, in order to be close to the greatest number of people.

Music also played a fundamental role in the ceremony.

In his homily, Pope Francis asked all Catholics in the world not to be indifferent to other’s misfortunes.

POPE FRANCIS
In the face of contempt for human dignity, we often stand with arms folded or stretched out as a sign of our frustration before the grim power of evil. Yet, we Christians cannot stand with arms folded in indifference, or with arms outstretched in helplessness. No! As believers, we must stretch out our hands, as Jesus does with us.

The pope especially asked not to deceive others or fall into corruption, even when trying to help one’s family.

Madagascar demonstrated they pray with music and dances. Therefore, after communion, they lifted up prayer through this enormous choreographed dance.

After giving the final blessing, the pope once again greeted the President of the Republic who, although not a Catholic, attended Mass with his wife.

Pope visits Akamasoa, the city built on dumpsters: You are a song of hope

ROME REPORTS in English

Published on Sep 8, 2019

Fr. Pedro Opeka personally welcomed the pope to Akamasoa, the City of Friendship he built out of a garbage dump to give dignity to those who survived by looking through the trash.

Then, Pope Francis was speechless at the reception they gave him when he entered this pavilion.

The children had prepared a song in Spanish and a choreographed dance with which they greeted the pope.

The scene emotionally affected the first lady of the country, who was sitting next to the president, behind the pope.

Then Fr. Pedro Opeka spoke. He is a missionary from the Congregation of the Mission, founded by St. Vincent de Paul. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for helping thousands of people out of extreme poverty in this city.

He explained to the pope that Akamasoa began thanks to faith, work, school, reciprocal respect and discipline. He was always convinced that these people were able to get out of misery.

PEDRO OPEKA
This was a place of exclusion, suffering, violence and death. After 30 years, Divine Providence created an “oasis of hope.” Children have regained their dignity, young people have returned to school, and parents have started working to prepare a future for their children.

A girl told him about the activities they do, and then handed him some gifts from their mothers.

The pope recognized that Akamasoa is a city of hope, proving poverty can be overcome.

POPE FRANCIS
Your plea for help – which arose from being homeless, from seeing your children grow up malnourished, from being without work and often regarded with indifference if not disdain – has turned into a song of hope for you and for all those who see you. Every corner of these neighborhoods, every school or dispensary, is a song of hope that refutes and silences any suggestion that some things are “inevitable.”

The pope also greeted the superior of the Congregation of the Mission, Tomaz Mavric, who accompanied him during his visit.

When he was ready to leave, a girl handed the pope a surprise.

Before leaving, Pope Francis turned to look at them for the last time.

Then Fr. Pedro Opeka accompanied the pope through the streets of Akamasoa in the popemobile to a huge quarry where many of its inhabitants work.

Here the pope greeted some of the workers. They told him they have been smashing granite for 30 years to make a living.

There Pope Francis prayed for the workers, for the children forced to work, for the entrepreneurs and for those without work.

Pope Francis left the enthusiastic people who couldn’t control shoving at times. Then, he toured the entire area in the popemobile. He was very happy and it’s a day he probably never forget.

Pope to religious, seminarians and priests from Madagascar: you can defeat evil

ROME REPORTS in English

Published on Sep 8, 2019

Pope Francis met with hundreds of seminarians, and religious in Madagascar. It was his last large meeting on the island.

He wanted to thank them because many work in extreme conditions, without water, electricity or paved roads.

He was greeted on everyone’s behalf by this nun, the president of the Religious Conference.

The pope started with a joke…

POPE FRANCIS
I thought they were bringing me this table to eat… But no, it’s to talk.

Pope Francis reminded them of Jesus’ words to His disciples that when they acted, they were able to defeat the power of Satan.

POPE FRANCIS
You triumph over evil whenever you teach people to praise our heavenly Father, or simply teach the Gospel and the catechism, or visit the sick and bring the consolation of reconciliation. In Jesus’ name, you triumph whenever you give a child something to eat, or save a mother from despair at being alone in the face of everything, or provide work to the father of a family.

Before saying goodbye, the pope joked with the priest who had translated his speeches.

I will make you embarrassed, because you will have to translate this. But I would like to thank the translator, Fr. Marcel, for the work he has done.

I won’t translate anymore, because…

It makes him a little embarrassed.

The pope was dismissed with a musical version of the Magnificat prayer, with rhythms from Madagascar.

The meeting was held at the College of Saint Michel, a prestigious educational institution run by the Jesuits. For this reason, the pope felt right at home.

‘The Demands Jesus Sets Before Us Cease Being Burdensome When We Taste Joy of New Life,’ Pope Reminds at Mass in Madagascar

Says Lift Eyes, Adjust Priorities for God to Be Center of Our Lives (Full Homily)

SEPTEMBER 08, 2019 16:06 BY DEBORAH CASTELLANO LUBOV

‘The demands that Jesus sets before us cease to be burdensome as soon as we begin to taste the joy of the new life that he himself sets before us’

Pope Francis stressed this today, Sept. 8, 2019, to some one million faithful during the Mass he celebrated in the Soa Mandrakizay diocesan field in Antananarivo, Madagascar, during his second full day of his visit to the country, during his 31st Apostolic Trip.

Francis is traveling to the African nations of Mozambique, Madagascar and the island of Mauritius, Sept. 4-10, 2019.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Blessed Mother’s Nativity.

The Holy Father began by explaining three demands of Jesus, the first having to do with family relationships, the second having to do with not identifying Kingdom of God with our own agenda, and the third having to do with being grateful.

“With these demands, the Lord,” the Holy Father underscored, “asks us to lift our gaze, to adjust our priorities and, above all, to make room for God to be the center and axis of our life.”

When speaking about the second demand, Francis noted how we cannot follow Christ if we are attached “to an ideology that would abuse the name of God or of a religion to justify acts of violence, segregation and even murder, exile, terrorism and marginalization.”

The Pope noted that as we look around us, we must recognize how many men and women, young people and children are suffering and in utter need. “This is not part of God’s plan!”

We Christians, he stressed, “cannot stand with arms folded in indifference, or with arms outstretched in helplessness.”

Bids Us

The Word of God today, Francis stressed, dares us to take a leap and adopt the wisdom of personal detachment as the basis for social justice and for our personal lives. Together, he said, we can resist all those forms of idolatry that make us think only of “the deceptive securities” of power, career, money and glory.

“The demands that Jesus sets before us cease to be burdensome as soon as we begin to taste the joy of the new life that he himself sets before us.”

This, he noted, is the joy “born of knowing that he is the first to seek us at the crossroads, even when we are lost like the sheep or the prodigal son.”

“May this humble realism,” the Pontiff prayed, “inspire us to take on great challenges and give you the desire to make your beautiful country a place where the Gospel becomes life, and where life is for the greater glory of God.”

Pope Francis concluded, encouraging: “Let us commit ourselves and let us make the Lord’s plans our own,” he said.

***

On ZENIT’s Full Page:

Full Text: https://zenit.org/articles/popes-homily-in-madagascar-full-text/

On Mary’s Nativity, Pope Prays She Accompanies Madagascar’s Journey in Peace & Hope (Full Angelus)

Pope’s Mass In Madagascar/Vatican Media Screenshot

Pope’s Homily in Madagascar (Full Text)

‘The demands that Jesus sets before us cease to be burdensome as soon as we begin to taste the joy of the new life that he himself sets before us’

SEPTEMBER 08, 2019 10:26 BY ZENIT STAFF

Today, Sept. 8, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in the Soa Mandrakizay diocesan field in Antananarivo, Madagascar, during his second full day of his visit to the country, during his 31st Apostolic Trip. Francis is traveling to the African nations of Mozambique, Madagascar and the island of Mauritius, Sept. 4-10, 2019.

Here is the full Vatican-provided text of the homily:

* * *

The Gospel tells us that “great multitudes accompanied Jesus” (Lk 14:25). Like the multitudes gathered along his path, you too have come in great numbers to receive his message and follow in his footsteps. But you also know that following Jesus is not easy. Today, Luke’s Gospel reminds us of how demanding that commitment can be.

We should realize that Luke sets out those demands within his account of Jesus’ ascent to Jerusalem. He starts with the parable of the banquet to which everyone is invited, especially the outcasts living on the streets, in the squares and at the crossroads. And he concludes with the three “parables of mercy”, where a party is celebrated when what was lost was found, where someone who seemed dead is welcomed with joy and restored to life with the possibility of making a new start. For us as Christians, our sacrifices only make sense in the light of the joyful celebration of our encounter with Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ first demand has to do with family relationships. The new life the Lord holds out to us seems troubling and scandalously unjust to those who think that entry into the kingdom of heaven can be limited or reduced only to bonds of blood or membership in a particular group, clan or particular culture. When “family” becomes the decisive criterion for what we consider right and good, we end up justifying and even “consecrating” practices that lead to the culture of privilege and exclusion: favouritism, patronage and, as a consequence, corruption. The Master demands that we see beyond this. He says this clearly: anyone incapable of seeing others as brothers or sisters, of showing sensitivity to their lives and situations regardless of their family, cultural or social background “cannot be my disciple” (Lk 14:26). His devoted love is a free gift given to all and meant for all.

Jesus’ second demand shows us how hard it is to follow him if we seek to identify the kingdom of heaven with our personal agenda or our attachment to an ideology that would abuse the name of God or of religion to justify acts of violence, segregation and even murder, exile, terrorism and marginalization. This demand encourages us not to dilute and narrow the Gospel message, but instead to build history in fraternity and solidarity, in complete respect for the earth and its gifts, as opposed to any form of exploitation. It encourages us to practise “dialogue as the path; mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and standard” (Document on Human Fraternity, Abu Dhabi, 4 February 2019). And not to be tempted by teachings that fail to see that the wheat and the chaff must grow together until the return of the Master of the harvest (cf. Mt 13:24-30).

Finally, how difficult it can be to share the new life that the Lord offers us when we are continually driven to self-justification, because we think that everything depends exclusively on our efforts and resources! Or, as we heard in the first reading, when the race to amass possessions becomes stifling and overwhelming, which only increases our selfishness and our willingness to use immoral means. Jesus’ demand is that we rediscover how to be grateful and to realize that, much more than a personal triumph, our life and our talents are the fruit of a gift (cf. Gaudete et Exsultate, 55), a gift created by God through the silent interplay of so many people whose names we will only know in the kingdom of heaven.

With these three demands, the Lord wants to prepare his disciples for the celebration of the coming of the kingdom of God, and to free them from the grave obstacle that, in the end, is one of the worst forms of enslavement: living only for oneself. It is the temptation to fall back into our little universe, and it ends up leaving little room for other people. The poor no longer enter in, we no longer hear the voice of God, we no longer enjoy the quiet joy of his love, we are no longer eager to do good… Many people, by shutting themselves up in this way, can feel “apparently” secure, yet they end up becoming bitter, querulous and lifeless. This is no way to live a full and dignified life; it is not God’s will for us, nor is it the life in the Spirit that has its source in the heart of the risen Christ (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 2).

With these demands, the Lord, as he walks towards Jerusalem, asks us to lift our gaze, to adjust our priorities and, above all, to make room for God to be the centre and axis of our life.

As we look around us, how many men and women, young people and children are suffering and in utter need! This is not part of God’s plan. How urgently Jesus calls us to die to our self-centredness, our individualism and our pride! In this way, we can allow the spirit of fraternity to triumph – a spirit born from the pierced side of Jesus Christ, in which we are born as God’s family – and in which everyone can feel loved because understood, accepted and appreciated in his or her dignity. “In the face of contempt for human dignity, we often remain with arms folded or stretched out as a sign of our frustration before the grim power of evil. Yet we Christians cannot stand with arms folded in indifference, or with arms outstretched in helplessness. No. As believers, we must stretch out our hands, as Jesus does with us” (Homily for the World Day of the Poor, 18 November 2018).

The Word of God that we have just heard bids us set out once more, daring to take this qualitative leap and to adopt this wisdom of personal detachment as the basis for social justice and for our personal lives. Together we can resist all those forms of idolatry that make us think only of the deceptive securities of power, career, money and of the search for human glory.

The demands that Jesus sets before us cease to be burdensome as soon as we begin to taste the joy of the new life that he himself sets before us. It is the joy born of knowing that he is the first to seek us at the crossroads, even when we are lost like the sheep or the prodigal son. May this humble realism inspire us to take on great challenges and give you the desire to make your beautiful country a place where the Gospel becomes life, and where life is for the greater glory of God.

Let us commit ourselves and let us make the Lord’s plans our own.

[Original text: French; Vatican-provided Text and Translation]

On Mary’s Nativity, Pope Prays She Accompanies Madagascar’s Journey in Peace & Hope (Full Angelus)

‘let us turn in prayer to the Blessed Virgin on this day that commemorates her Nativity, the dawn of salvation for humanity’

SEPTEMBER 08, 2019 15:43 BY DEBORAH CASTELLANO LUBOV

Let us turn in prayer to the Blessed Virgin on this day that commemorates her Nativity…

This was the invitation today, Sept. 8, of Pope Francis during his Angelus address in the Soa Mandrakizay diocesan field in Antananarivo, Madagascar, during his second full day of his visit to the country, during his 31st Apostolic Trip. The Pontiff is visiting the African nations of Mozambique, Madagascar and the island of Mauritius, Sept. 4-10, 2019.

After thanking all involved for his warm welcome, the Holy Father told the some one million present at the field, “let us turn in prayer to the Blessed Virgin on this day that commemorates her Nativity, the dawn of salvation for humanity.”

“May Mary Immaculate, whom you love and venerate as your Mother and Patroness, ever accompany the journey of Madagascar in peace and hope.”

After the Angelus, the Holy Father left the field, where earlier, he had celebrated Mass, and departed for the apostolic nunciature where he would have lunch.

Here is the full Vatican-provided text of the Pope’s Angelus address:

* * *

Dear brothers and sisters, at the conclusion of this celebration, I would like to address a cordial greeting to all of you!

From the heart, I thank Archbishop Razanakolona for his kind words, and with him my other brother bishops present, the priests, consecrated persons, married couples and their families, catechists and all the faithful.

I take this occasion to express my deep gratitude to the President of the Republic and the civil authorities of the country for their generous welcome, as well as all those who have contributed in various ways to the successful outcome of my Visit. May the Lord reward you and bless all your people, through the intercession of Blessed Raphaël Louis Rafiringa, whose relics are enshrined near this altar, and Blessed Victoire Rasoamanarivo.

And now, let us turn in prayer to the Blessed Virgin on this day that commemorates her Nativity, the dawn of salvation for humanity. May Mary Immaculate, whom you love and venerate as your Mother and Patroness, ever accompany the journey of Madagascar in peace and hope.

[Original text: French; Vatican-provided Text and Translation]

Pope’s Homily in Madagascar (Full Text)

Fr. Pedro Pablo Opeka And Pope Francis At The City Of Friendship – © Vatican Media

Pope Visits City of Friendship: ‘Let us say it forcefully: poverty is not inevitable!’

‘You plea for help…has turned into a song of hope”

SEPTEMBER 08, 2019 15:38 BY JIM FAIR

“Seeing your happy faces, I give thanks to the Lord who has heard the cry of the poor and shown his love in tangible signs like the creation of this village. Your plea for help – which arose from being homeless, from seeing your children grow up malnourished, from being without work and often regarded with indifference if not disdain – has turned into a song of hope for you and for all those who see you,” Pope Francis said. “Every corner of these neighborhoods, every school or dispensary, is a song of hope that refutes and silences any suggestion that some things are ‘inevitable’. Let us say it forcefully: poverty is not inevitable!”

The Akamasoa Association sets out to engage poor people in creative ways, helping them to build a dignified lifestyle for themselves. Dignity, according to Fr Pédro, means providing shelter, employment, and education. It means breaking out of the cycle of crime, violence, and hopelessness, according to Vatican News.

“Helping but not assisting” is one of Akamasoa’s mottos. The Association works alongside and together with poor people, helping them build necessary structures, like schools, workplaces, and healthcare facilities, so that they can prepare a future for themselves and their children.

Since its foundation 30 years ago, the Association has helped create housing for over 25,000 people, giving rise to 18 villages, complete with dispensaries and schools that provide education for some 14,000 children. In total, around 500,000 Malagasies have befitted from emergency help in the form of food, clothing, and health care.

“Dear young people of Akamasoa, I would like to say a special word to you. Never stop fighting the baneful effects of poverty; never yield to the temptation of settling for an easy life or withdrawing into yourselves,” Francis said. “Allow the gifts that the Lord has given you to flourish in your midst. Ask him to help you to be generous in the service of your brothers and sisters. In this way, Akamasoa will not be merely an example for the coming generations, but something even greater: the point of departure for a work inspired by God that will come to full flower in the measure that you continue to witness to his love for present and future generations.”

Following is the Holy Father’s full address at Akamasoa, provided by the Vatican

Dear Friends of Akamasoa,

It is a great joy for me to be with you in this great enterprise. Akamasoa is an expression of God’s presence in the midst of his people who are poor. His is no isolated or occasional presence… it is the presence of a God who has chosen to live and dwell forever in the midst of his people.

You have come in good numbers this evening, in the heart of this city of Friendship that you built with your own hands. I have no doubt that you will continue to build it so that many families will be able to live with dignity. Seeing your happy faces, I give thanks to the Lord who has heard the cry of the poor and shown his love in tangible signs like the creation of this village. Your plea for help – which arose from being homeless, from seeing your children grow up malnourished, from being without work and often regarded with indifference if not disdain – has turned into a song of hope for you and for all those who see you. Every corner of these neighborhoods, every school or dispensary, is a song of hope that refutes and silences any suggestion that some things are “inevitable”. Let us say it forcefully: poverty is not inevitable!

Indeed this village reflects a long history of courage and mutual assistance. This city is the fruit of many years of hard work. At its foundations, we find a living faith translated into concrete actions capable of “moving mountains”. A faith that made it possible to see opportunity in place of insecurity; to see hope in place of inevitability; to see life in a place that spoke only of death and destruction. Remember what the Apostle Saint James wrote: “Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (Jas 2:17). The building blocks of teamwork and a sense of family and community have enabled you to rebuild, with patience and skill, your confidence not only in yourselves but also in one another. This has given you the chance to take the lead in shaping this enterprise. It has been an education in the values handed down by those first families who took a risk with Father Opeka – the values of hard work, discipline, honesty, self-respect, and respect for others. You have come to understand that God’s dream is not only for our personal development but essentially for the development of the community and that there is no worse form of slavery, as Father Pedro reminded us than to live only for ourselves.

Dear young people of Akamasoa, I would like to say a special word to you. Never stop fighting the baneful effects of poverty; never yield to the temptation of settling for an easy life or withdrawing into yourselves. Thank you, Fanny, for the moving testimony you shared with us on behalf of the youth of this village. Dear young people, this great work accomplished by your elders, is now yours to carry forward. You will find the strength to do so in your faith and in the living witness that your elders have made a reality in your lives. Allow the gifts that the Lord has given you to flourish in your midst. Ask him to help you to be generous in the service of your brothers and sisters. In this way, Akamasoa will not be merely an example for the coming generations, but something even greater: the point of departure for a work inspired by God that will come to full flower in the measure that you continue to witness to his love for present and future generations.

Let us pray that throughout Madagascar and everywhere in the world this ray of light will spread, so that we can enact models of development that support the fight against poverty and social exclusion, on the basis of trust, education, hard work, and commitment. For these are always indispensable for the dignity of the human person.

Dear friends of Akamasoa, dear Father Pedro and co-workers, thank you once again for your prophetic witness of hope. May God continue to bless you.

I ask you, please, not to forget to pray for me. [01365-EN.01] [Original text: Italian]

Pope Leads Prayer at City of Friendship

‘May all know the joy and dignity of earning their daily bread and bringing it home to support their loved ones.’

SEPTEMBER 08, 2019 18:52 BY ZENIT STAFF

Pope Francis on September 8, 2019, visited the City of Friendship in Akamasoa, Madagascar, a project started 30 years ago by Fr. Pedro Pablo Opeka, 71, a missionary priest from the Holy Father’s native Argentina. Following his address to the crowd, he led them in the following prayer, written especially for the occasion.

********

God our Father, Creator of heaven and earth,
we thank you for gathering us as brothers and sisters in this place. Before this rock, split by human labor,
we pray to you for workers everywhere.

We pray for those who work with their hands and with immense physical effort:
soothe their wearied frames,
that they may tenderly caress their children and join in their games.
Grant them unfailing spiritual strength and physical health, lest they succumb beneath the burden of their labors.

Grant that the fruits of their work
may ensure a dignified life to their families.
May they come home at night to warmth, comfort, and encouragement and together, under your gaze, find true joy.

May our families know that the joy of earning our daily bread becomes perfect when that bread is shared.
May our children not be forced to work,
but receive schooling and continue their studies,
and may their teachers devote themselves fully to their task, without needing other work to make a decent living.

God of justice, touch the hearts of owners and managers.
May they make every effort
to ensure that workers receive a just wage
and enjoy conditions respectful of their human dignity.

Father, in your mercy, take pity on those who lack work. May unemployment – the cause of such great misery – disappear from our societies.

May all know the joy and dignity of earning their daily bread and bringing it home to support their loved ones.
Create among workers a spirit of authentic solidarity. May they learn to be attentive to one another,
To encourage one another, to support those in difficulty and to lift up those who have fallen.

Let their hearts not yield to hatred, resentment or bitterness in the face of injustice.
May they keep alive their hope for a better world, and work to that end.

Together, may they constructively defend their rights.
Grant that their voices and demands may be heard.

God our Father, you have made Saint Joseph,
foster-father of Jesus and courageous spouse of the Virgin Mary, protector of workers throughout the world.
To him, I entrust all those who labor here, at Akamasoa, and all the workers of Madagascar,
especially those experiencing uncertainty and hardship.
May he keep them in the love of your Son
and sustain them in their livelihood and in their hope. Amen.

Account of Pope’s City of Friendship Visit and His Address

Pope Francis Shares Joy of Prayer and Praise in Final Madagascar Encounter

‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to little ones.’

SEPTEMBER 08, 2019 20:08 BY JIM FAIR

“I conclude my visit to Madagascar here with you. As I witness your joy and think of everything else that I have seen during my brief stay on your island, my heart echoes the words spoken by Jesus in Luke’s Gospel. Filled with joy, he exclaimed: ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to little ones’ (Lk 10:21). My joy has been confirmed by your testimonies, for even those things you see as problems are signs of a Church that is alive, dynamic and striving to be each day to be a sign of the Lord’s presence.”

Those were the words of Pope Francis following a joyful reception to Madagascar’s College of Saint Michael. The Holy Father chose as his final audience the island nation’s priests, religious, consecrated, and seminarians.

“The words of the Gospel that I cited above are part of the Lord’s prayer of praise as he welcomed back the seventy-two disciples from their mission,” the Pope said. “Like yourselves, those disciples accepted the challenge of being a Church that ‘goes forth’.

“They came back with their bags full, to share everything that they saw and heard. You too dared to go forth, and you accepted the challenge of bringing the light of the Gospel to the different parts of this island.”

The Holy Father acknowledged that many of those listening live in difficult conditions. Indeed, many work among the poor and lack easy access to such basic services as water and electricity. Financial resources are scarce and the hard work can take a toll on the health of religious workers.

In that environment, the Pope reminded the crowd of their need for prayer and praise. He echoed the actions of Jesus when the 72 returned after venturing forth.

“Welcoming back his disciples and hearing of their joy, Jesus immediately praises and blesses his heavenly Father,” Francis recalled. “This makes us see something basic about our vocation. We are men and women of praise.

“Consecrated persons are able to recognize and point out the presence of God wherever they find themselves. Even better, they are able to dwell in God’s presence because they have learned how to savor, enjoy and share that presence.

“In praise, we discover the beauty of our identity as part of a people. Praise frees disciples from obsessing about ‘what ought to be done’; it restores our enthusiasm for mission and for being in the midst of our people. Praise helps us refine the ‘criteria’ by which we take stock of ourselves and others and all our missionary projects. In this way, it keeps us from losing our evangelical ‘flavor’.

The Holy Father’s Full Address

Holy Father Concludes Madagascar Visit with Address to Priests, Religious, Consecrated, Seminarians: FULL TEXT

Offers Gratitude and Encouragement to those who Serve the Church

SEPTEMBER 08, 2019 19:15 BY ZENIT STAFF

Pope Francis concluded his visit to Madagascar by meeting with priests, religious, consecrated and seminarians at the College of St. Michael the evening of September 8, 2019. Following is the text of his address to the group, provided by the Vatican.

********

Dear brothers and sisters,

I thank you for your warm welcome. I would like before all else to greet all those priests and consecrated persons who could not be with us today due to poor health, advanced age or other reasons.

I conclude my visit to Madagascar here with you. As I witness your joy and think of everything else that I have seen during my brief stay on your island, my heart echoes the words spoken by Jesus in Luke’s Gospel. Filled with joy, he exclaimed: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to little ones” (Lk 10:21). My joy has been confirmed by your testimonies, for even those things you see as problems are signs of a Church that is alive, dynamic and striving to be each day to be a sign of the Lord’s presence.

This leads us to remember with gratitude all those who in past years were unafraid to stake their lives on Jesus Christ and his kingdom. Today you share in their legacy. I think of the Vincentians, the Jesuits, the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Cluny, the Brothers of the Christian Schools, the La Salette Missionaries and so many other pioneer bishops, priests and consecrated men and women. I think too of the many laypersons who kept alive the flame of the faith in this land during the difficult days of persecution when many missionaries and religious had to leave. This reminds us that our baptism is the first great sacrament that marked and consecrated us as God’s children. Everything else is an expression and a manifestation of that first love, which we are constantly called to renew.

The words of the Gospel that I cited above are part of the Lord’s prayer of praise as he welcomed back the seventy-two disciples from their mission. Like yourselves, those disciples accepted the challenge of being a Church that “goes forth”. They came back with their bags full, to share everything that they saw and heard. You too dared to go forth, and you accepted the challenge of bringing the light of the Gospel to the different parts of this island.

I know that many of you live in difficult conditions and lack such essential services as water, electricity, roads, and means of communication, or the financial resources needed for your life and pastoral activity. More than a few of you feel the burden of your apostolic labors and their effect on your health. Yet you have chosen to stand beside your people, to remain in their midst. I thank you for this. I thank you for your witness of choosing to stay and not make your vocation a “stepping stone to a better life”. To remain there in the awareness, as Sister said, that, “for all our difficulties and weaknesses, we remain fully committed to the great mission of evangelization”. Consecrated persons, in the broad sense of the term, are women and men who have learned how to keep close to the Lord’s heart and to the heart of their people.

Welcoming back his disciples and hearing of their joy, Jesus immediately praises and blesses his heavenly Father. This makes us see something basic about our vocation. We are men and women of praise. Consecrated persons are able to recognize and point out the presence of God wherever they find themselves. Even better, they are able to dwell in God’s presence because they have learned how to savor, enjoy and share that presence.

In praise, we discover the beauty of our identity as part of a people. Praise frees disciples from obsessing about “what ought to be done”; it restores our enthusiasm for mission and for being in the midst of our people. Praise helps us refine the “criteria” by which we take stock of ourselves and others and all our missionary projects. In this way, it keeps us from losing our evangelical “flavor”.

Often we can yield to the temptation of wasting our time talking about “successes” and “failures”, the “usefulness” of what we are doing or the “influence” we may have. These discussions end up taking over and, not infrequently, make us, like defeated generals, dream up vast, meticulously planned apostolic projects. We end up denying our own history – and the history of your people – which is glorious because it is a history of sacrifices, hope, daily struggle, a life consumed in fidelity to work, tiring as it may be (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 96).

In praising, we learn not to become “inebriated”, turning means into ends or the superfluous into the important. We gain the freedom to initiate processes rather than seeking to occupy spaces (cf. ibid., 233), the freedom to foster whatever brings growth, development, and fruitfulness to God’s people, instead of priding ourselves on pastoral “gains” that are easy and quick, but short-lived. Much of our life, our joy, and our missionary fruitfulness have to do with Jesus’ invitation to praise. As that wise and holy man, Romano Guardini, often said: “The one who worships God in the depths of his heart and, when possible, by his concrete actions, lives in the truth. He might be mistaken about many things; he can be overwhelmed and dismayed by all his cares, but when all is said and done, his life rests on a sure foundation” (R. GUARDINI, Glaubenserkenntnis, Mainz, 3^rd ed., 1997, p. 17).

The seventy-two realized that the success of their mission depended on its being carried out “in the name of the Lord Jesus”. That was what amazed them. It had nothing to do with their own virtues, names or titles… There was no need to pass out their own propaganda; it was not their fame or their vision that stirred and saved other people. The joy of the disciples was born of their certainty that they were acting in the name of the Lord, sharing in his plan and participating in his life, which they loved so much that they wanted to share it with others.

It is interesting to see how Jesus sums up his disciples’ work by speaking of victory over the power of Satan, a power that we, by ourselves, could never overcome, if not in the name of Jesus! Each of us can testify to battles fought… including a few defeats. In all those situations that you mentioned when you spoke of your efforts to evangelize, you fight this same battle in the name of Jesus. In his name, you triumph over evil whenever you teach people to praise our heavenly Father, or simply teach the Gospel and the catechism, or visit the sick and bring the consolation of reconciliation. In Jesus’ name, you triumph whenever you give a child something to eat, or save a mother from despair at being alone in the face of everything, or provide work to the father of a family. The battle is won whenever you overcome ignorance by providing an education. You bring God’s presence whenever any of you helps show respect for all creatures, in their proper order and perfection, and prevents their being misused or exploited. It is a sign of God’s victory whenever you plant a tree or help bring drinkable water to a family. What a great sign of victory over evil it is, whenever you work to restore thousands of persons to good health!

Continue to fight these battles, but always in prayer and in praise.

There are also battles that we fight within ourselves. God circumvents the influence of the evil spirit, the spirit that very often inspires in us “an inordinate concern for our personal freedom and relaxation, which leads us to see our work as a mere appendage to our life as if it were not part of our very identity. At the same time, the spiritual life comes to be identified with a few religious exercises which can offer a certain comfort, but which do not encourage encounter with others, engagement with the world or a passion for evangelization” (Evangelii Gaudium, 78). As a result of this, instead of being men and women of praise, we become “professionals of the sacred”. Let us conquer the spirit of evil on its own terrain. Whenever it tells us to put our trust in financial security, spaces of power and human glory, let us respond with the evangelical responsibility and poverty that inspires us to give our lives for the mission (cf. ibid., 76). Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of missionary joy!

Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus praises the Father for having revealed these things to the “little ones”. We are indeed little, for our joy, our happiness, is found in precisely his revelation that those who are simple can “see and hear” what neither the intelligent nor prophets and kings were able to see and hear. It is God’s presence in those who are suffering and afflicted, those who hunger and thirst for justice, those who are merciful (cf. Mt 5:3-12; Lk 6:20-23). Happy are you, happy as a Church of the poor and for the poor, a Church imbued by the fragrance of her Lord, a Church that lives joyfully by preaching the Good News to the marginalized of the earth, to those who are closest to God’s heart.

Please convey to your communities my affection and my closeness, my prayers, and my blessing. As I now bless you in the name of the Lord, I ask you to think of your communities and your places of mission, that the Lord may continue to speak of goodness to all, wherever they find themselves. May you continue to be a sign of his living presence in our midst!

Don’t forget to pray for me, and to ask others to do the same! Thank you!

[01367-EN.01] [Original text: Italian]

Photo By LY Hoang Long – Mauritius Tourism

FEATURE: Francis to Visit Mauritius 30 Years After Saint John Paul II

‘Mauritius was made first and then heaven, and heaven was copied after Mauritius.’

SEPTEMBER 08, 2019 20:12 BY JIM FAIR

“Mauritius was made first and then heaven, and heaven was copied after Mauritius.”

The quote is usually attributed to the great American writer Mark Twain, who was a visitor to the island nation and sang its praises. However, although he spoke the words, he was quoting an islander, not making an original observation. Having said that, there is no evidence that Twain disagreed with the heavenly analysis.

Vina MacDonald of suburban Chicago is quick to praise the beauty of Mauritius, where she was born and raised. She met her American husband, Eric, when both were in college in Paris. But she still has family on the island and said they are excited about the Pope’s visit, which begins September 9. As Vina pointed out, that date is special for everyone on Mauritius. With the Pope’s visit, it will be a national holiday and it is expected that people of all religious faiths will turn out to see the Holy Father.

Photo by Pascal Kobeth - Mauritius Tourism

Although people in any nation have their disagreements, Vina is proud to say that Mauritius is a place where people of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds get along and respect one another.

September 9 is the feast day of Blessed Father Jacques-Désiré Laval. This Spiritan Father (Holy Spirit Congregation) was the first person to be beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1979 and is regarded as the great missionary of the island, according to Aid to the Church in Need.

On arriving here in 1841 he immediately set about learning Creole and also devised a little catechism in the local language. He took the Gospel to the former slaves there who had recently been set free by the British government and tirelessly traveled by donkey to the poorest huts and shanties, dressed in his worn and repeatedly patched soutane. He died in 1864 after an immensely fruitful work of evangelization. He is still celebrated each year, in great processions which go well beyond the Catholic community alone. In 2019 these processions will take place on the 7^th and 8^th of September in order not to conflict with the main event, which will be the outdoor Mass celebrated in Port Louis by Pope Francis.

It had been 30 years since Saint Pope John Paul II visited Mauritius. As is the case with Pope Francis, the visit was the final stop on a 10-day tour. John Paul was coming from South Korea and Indonesia; Francis will have visited Mozambique and Madagascar.

Photo by Grey Hutton - Mauritius Tourism

Like John Paul before him, Francis will find a population of many ethnic backgrounds and faiths. There is no indigenous population, Mauritius being colonized by Western Europeans and later gaining residents from Asia and Africa. Religious faiths include Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus.

There was a famous indigenous (albeit non-human) population when the first colonists arrived: the dodo bird. The bird was large, tasty, and easy to catch. The human arrivals to Mauritius literally ate it into oblivion. Only pictures and a few stuffed specimens remain.

Mauritius is a tiny nation, covering just 790 square miles. Population density is high with about 1.3 million people on the island. Twenty-eight percent of the population is Catholic and is served by two bishops, 93 priests, 186 women religious, and 1,335 catechists.

Pope Francis, who has become known for maintaining a rigorous travel pace, will have a packed day in Mauritius on September 9: