“I give thanks for the missionary vitality” of the Catholic Church in Madagascar, Pope Leo XIV said on June 16, 2025, to the bishops of Madagascar who had come to Rome for the Jubilee pilgrimage. He emphasized the fruitfulness of the witness of the French missionary saints who came to bring the faith to the “big island” in the 19th century.
Madagascar has 22 dioceses. It has two cardinals, one who voted in the conclave. There are some 29.5 million people on the island and about 1/3 of them are Roman Catholic.
Welcomed by the polyphonic songs in Malagasy sung by the bishops of the Episcopal Conference, the pontiff then listened to the president of the conference, Bishop Marie-Fabien Raharilamboniaina, who alerted him in French to the “aggravated poverty,” the "betrayal" of the political class, and the “systemic corruption” of public services in his country.
“Madagascar has suffered from the withdrawal of US aid since the arrival of the president you know,” the bishop of Morondava then declared, saying he was counting on the pope's “kind intercession” with Donald Trump, who cut off much international aid at the beginning of the year.
Bishop Raharilamboniaina also extended an invitation to the Pope to visit Madagascar, a perhaps unlikely trip since Pope Francis went in 2019.
Finally, he alerted him to the progress of causes for canonization in Rome, citing in particular the cases of Blessed Victoire Nanahariva (1848-1894) and Blessed Martyr Lucien Botovasoa (1908-1945).
Missionary vitality
Responding in Italian, Pope Leo XIV expressed his joy at this “first meeting” with the Malagasy bishops and congratulated them on their decision to come on pilgrimage to Rome together, seeing it as a sign of unity.
He encouraged them to take special care of their priests — “your first collaborators and your closest brothers” — emphasizing the “missionary vitality” of the Church in Madagascar.
In his speech, the Pontiff paid tribute to French bishops Henri de Solages (1786-1832), the first Catholic missionary to the island, “who did not allow himself to be discouraged by failure and captivity,” and Jacques Berthieu (1838-1896), “whose blood sowed the seeds of Christianity in Madagascar.”
“May their example continue to strengthen you in your gift of yourselves to Christ and his Church,” he encouraged.
The pontiff also mentioned Blessed Father Raphaël Rafiringa (1856-1919) and Blessed Victoire Rasoamanarivo, two Madagascans who played an essential role in the evangelization of their country.
He urged the bishops never to “turn away from the poor, who are at the heart of the Gospel and are the privileged recipients of the proclamation of the Good News.” He asked them to show “concrete concern” for them in their pastoral work.
The Pope also encouraged the bishops, in continuity with Pope Francis' visit to the island, “to take care of our common home,” emphasizing the “great natural beauty” of Madagascar. The defense of creation, he insisted, is part of the “prophetic mission” of the bishops in Madagascar, who must pass on this concern to their faithful.
A great number of Madagascar's animals are endemic to the island, which means they can be found nowhere else on earth.
