Leo XIV, a pope close to the poor?

In Madagascar, the election of Pope Leo XIV has raised expectations within the influential Catholic Church as the Malagasy faithful hope that the pontiff will follow in the footsteps of Pope Francis.

During his visit to Madagascar in 2019, Pope Francis emphasized the urgent need to preserve the common home, in reference to the island’s great biodiversity, now under threat.

His commitment to the environment was a landmark event. But churchgoers also have other expectations.

On the island, although powerful, the Catholic community feels threatened by the proliferation of evangelical movements, a trend encouraged over the last ten years by poverty.

“The other churches, the ones that are like sects, hate us a lot. Sometimes they give aid and distribute raw materials to attract people to them. They destabilize our students about Catholic belief. And all the other churches are destabilized by this,” a catechist told RFI.

The latter hopes that Leo XIV will be able to unify the Church in Madagascar.

The faithful hope that Leo XIV will continue to be a pope close to the poor, in a context where the Malagasy Church is struggling to make its criticism of the socio-economic situation heard by the country’s leaders.