MADAGASCAR: Cardinal calls for authentic faith amid national crisis

The head of the Catholic Church in Madagascar has issued a plea for a deeper, more authentic faith to help address the growing poverty, corruption and insecurity in the country.

The Church must lead by example to help bring about societal change, according to Cardinal Désiré Tzarahazana, Archbishop of Toamasina.

He told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN): “We cannot serve Jesus Christ in church, and the devil outside.

“Why is our country sinking, sinking, sinking? There must be a problem with our faith.”

He said that, despite churches being full, for many people Christianity has become a routine, rather than a heartfelt “conviction”.

He added: “Do we pray just because everybody prays?”

The cardinal explained: “It is essential to give a good intellectual and spiritual formation to [seminarians], so that the honour associated with being a priest does not spoil them.”

An inter-diocesan seminary opened in the island nation in 2022, with support from ACN.

Maxime François-Marsal, head of ACN (International) projects for francophone countries in Central Africa, said that the Church “does a lot with very modest means” to help “the poorest” in one of the world’s least developed countries according to UN statistics.

Mr François-Marsal added that “many Catholic communities find themselves isolated because of the lack of roads” and “considerable insecurity”, making the work of catechists extremely important.

Cardinal Tzarahazana said: “It is the catechists who spread the Gospel.

“They are deeply anchored in the Faith, and that is why they serve the Church devotedly, even as volunteers.”

ACN has supported more than 380 projects in Madagascar in the past five years, including Mass stipends, training for catechists and pastoral projects.

Cardinal Tzarahazana concluded: “A huge thank you to ACN, a faithful friend.

“Your precious help is an invaluable source of support for our mission.”