This archive report was first published on 8 September 2019.
On September 8, 2019, Pope Francis's three-nation African tour reached its second leg in Madagascar, where he was set to say mass in the capital city of Antananarivo.
Thousands of people gathered before dawn, braving a cold and windy morning to hear the Pope's mass at Soamandrakizay stadium.
Fr Jean-Yves Ravoajanahary, a local priest, briefed the crowd on the safety measures in place, warning them of the dangers of pickpocketing and banditry on the roads.
"We are going to divide worshippers into groups of 1,000 because the road is very dangerous. At this time pickpockets and bandits are out to mug people," he told AFP.
As the groups began their journey to the stadium, they were huddled together and singing praise to the Virgin Mary, with traffic gridlocked in the process.
Many attendees had arrived early, with some setting up tents on the outskirts of the city on Friday, armed with posters of the Argentine pontiff.
Prospere Ralitason, a 70-year-old farm worker, arrived with 5,000 fellow pilgrims from the central eastern town of Ambatondrazaka, 200 kilometres away.
"We are tired, but it's worth making all these sacrifices to see the pope with our own eyes and receive his blessing," he said.
The mass was due to begin at 10am, with organisers expecting around one million attendees.
