Cardinal Désiré Tzarahazana, the most senior Roman Catholic in Madagascar, has called upon believers in Jesus to set an example in their daily lives at a time of instability in the country.
Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need, he said that failure to do so would only accelerate societal decline in the country.
He spoke of the importance of a faith that is deep, authentic and settled upon a solid intellectual and spiritual formation.
“We cannot serve Jesus Christ in church, and the devil outside," he said.
“Why is our country sinking, sinking, sinking? There must be a problem with our faith.”
Madagascar is struggling with increasing levels of poverty, corruption and insecurity, and that Christians and the Church only bring about meaningful change if they lead by example,
The cardinal warned of the dangers of a superficial faith that lacked conviction and was merely a matter of routine or keeping up appearances.
“Do we pray just because everybody prays?” he said.
He added that clergymen need to be properly trained and taught to avoid the dangers of spiritual arrogance: “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.”
Madagascar remains an incredibly under-developed nation. Many Christian communities are effectively isolated due to a lack of roads. Even the roads that do exist are not always safe due to security concerns, with gang crime becoming an increasing problem on the island.
