Pope Leo XIV meets with the Bishops of Madagascar during their Jubilee pilgrimage to Rome, and urges all Bishops to recall that the poor are at the center of the Gospel.
By Devin Watkins
The Bishops of Madagascar met with Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican on Monday, as they made a pilgrimage to Rome as part in the 2025 Jubilee Year.
In his address, the Pope praised their decision to come together in the Eternal City, near the tomb of St. Peter, following Pope Francis’ Apostolic Journey to the country in 2019 and their ad limina Apostolorum visit to Rome in 2022.
“It is beautiful that you have become pilgrims of hope, together with the thousands and thousands of faithful who each day cross the Holy Doors of the papal basilicas,” he said.
The Bishops too, added the Pope, are called to be pilgrims of hope, first of all for themselves and for the people they serve in Madagascar, so that everyone may receive “the grace of walking in the hope that is Jesus Christ.”
As he listened to the Bishops tell of their pastoral joys and trials, Pope Leo encouraged them to continue walking alongside the faithful as a living sign of the Gospel.
“I encourage each of you in your episcopal ministry to take special care of the priests, who are your first collaborators and your closest brothers, as well as the religious men and women who spend themselves in service,” he said.
The Pope praised the Madagascar Church’s missionary vitality, as they follow in the footsteps of the missionaries and martyrs who preceeded them, especially Henri de Solages, the first missionary, and St. Jacques Berthieu, the country’s first martyr to be canonized.
“I urge you not to turn your gaze from the poor,” said Pope Leo XIV. “They are at the center of the Gospel and are the privileged recipients of the proclamation of the Good News.”
He invited all Bishops to recognize the face of Christ in the poor, always taking care to show “concrete solicitude toward the littlest ones.”
In conclusion, Pope Leo invited everyone to care for our common home, so as to preserve the beauty of Madagascar, saying care for Creation is an integral part of their prophetic mission.
“Take care of creation, which groans in pain,” he said, “and teach your faithful the art of protecting it with justice and peace.”
