This archive report was first published on 8 September 2019.
On September 8, 2019, thousands of people gathered in Antananarivo, Madagascar, to attend a mass led by Pope Francis, who was on the second leg of his three-nation African tour.
Organisers expected around one million attendees, with many having set up tents on the outskirts of the city the day before, armed with posters of the Argentine pontiff.
Fr Jean-Yves Ravoajanahary briefed 5,000 people on the two-hour trek to Soamandrakizay stadium, where the mass would take place, warning them of the dangers of the road and the presence of pickpockets and bandits.
"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.
One by one, the groups started the journey, huddled together and singing praise to the Virgin Mary, with traffic gridlocked.
During the vigil, Pope Francis lauded the "joy and enthusiasm" of the singing crowd, encouraging the youth not to fall into "bitterness" or to lose hope, even when they lacked the "necessary minimum" to get by and when "educational opportunities were insufficient".
