The Episcopal Conference of Madagascar delivered a message to the people of Madagascar on the feast day of the Ascension of Christ. Here is the full text, presented by His Excellency Bishop Jean Claude Randrianarisoa, Bishop of the Diocese of Miarinarivo, Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference of Madagascar:

To all malagasy,

To all Christian faithfull,

"Peace be with you!"

It is with this word of the Risen Jesus that appeared to the disciples "confined" in a house because of fear, that we greet each and every one of you and that we come to visit you in every home, in this time of trial where we are all fighting Covid-19.

Given the current situation that we are all experiencing, we Bishops have not been able to hold our usual Ordinary Plenary Assembly in May, but this has not prevented us from addressing you with this message.

We have also decided that national ecclesial events such as the Celebration of the National Eucharistic Congress and that of the Centenary of the FET Movement (MEJ), scheduled to be held in Antsiranana in August, and the National Meeting of Child Missionaries (« Rencontre nationale des Enfants missionnaires » JNE), scheduled to be held in Fianarantsoa in September, will not take place this year.

This invisible pandemic virus appeared just during the period of Lent and Easter to the point of upsetting the life of humanity both materially and spiritually. Coronavirus has highlighted the fragility and limitations of human beings, and no country in the world, from the most powerful to the least developed, has been able to escape its grip.

Yet it has been observed that this trial makes us turn our gaze to God the Creator, Alpha and Omega, and even if we have not been able to celebrate in community in our churches, especially during the Easter celebrations, the most important moments of our faith, we see our deep thirst to pray more and to entrust ourselves to God's Almighty Power.

We are very grateful to the to the Holy Father, Pope Francis, who has always shown himself to be a Father and Gatherer, inviting all men on earth, whatever their religion, to turn to God and unify their voices to implore to overcome this pandemic and which has always manifested its closeness through its constant prayers and words of encouragement, through symbolic gestures of love and hope, as we have followed them through the media and social networks.

"courage, I have overcome the world !"

We note the efforts of state officials, led by the Head of State and Government, assisted by the CCO team, law enforcement and elected officials at all levels, who are seeking every means to control the spread of this pandemic and protect the lives of their compatriots. We are very grateful to you and we encourage you in making such difficult decisions, as they are sometimes unavoidable but have a direct impact on the lives of the people.

To you, the doctors and public health actors from all over the Island, we thank you for your great devotion by not hesitating to always be very close to the sick and to care for them at the risk of your lives. We assure you of our support and our prayers so that you will always have the courage and be able to overcome fear by carrying out your duties with great prudence. We encourage and comfort the researchers for the effort and initiative to make the talents God has given them bear fruit, in order to find cures against this virus and thus bring solutions to protect human life.

However, we must not forget that the emergence of the Coronavirus pandemic coincides with the unexpected proliferation of malaria, "dengue" and certain other common diseases that cause far more deaths than Coronavirus, almost all over the Island. We think it is time to take a close look at how to improve overall biblical health in the country.

As for you, journalists and actors in the field of communication, you play an important role in this struggle by informing the people of all that they need to know about this pandemic and sensitizing them to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves. We thank you for your voluntary involvement. Many people are finding that social networks allow everyone to communicate with each other and express their own opinions. Today, they have taken on a lot of importance. However, we call on everyone to be wise not to disclose false information.

that destabilize law and order and create panic among people already overwhelmed by fear and hardship.

With regard to education, many people are worried and wonder about the future of students because of the mid-year break in the school year. Will this school year be a blank year? We hope that public education officials at all levels will give clear guidelines on this issue to allay the concerns of young people and parents.

Let the strong be concerned about the weak ...; let the rich subsidize the poor, let the poor give thanks to God who has given them someone to compensate for their destitution", said Saint Clement.

We all know that containment has a very strong direct impact on the economy, on the lives of every household and every individual. This situation pushes us to take accompanying measures for the most affected sectors through mutual help and sharing which is both Malagasy wisdom and Christian value. We would like to thank all the state officials, as well as all the donors, national and international benefactors and volunteers who ensure the distribution of donations. We sincerely hope that the sharing and distribution will take place in a transparent and fair manner so that no one feels excluded or forgotten, especially those who are truly in need, especially those in the remotest places.

Unfortunately, there are still those who still dare to take advantage of the difficult situation to divert aid for the needy for their own benefit. It is also worth noting the upsurge in acts of banditry (asan-dahalo) and armed attacks on homes during this period of confinement. May this difficult time touch the heart of each and every one of us to convert from our selfishness, which is the source of bad profits and all kinds of corruption.

In spite of the various hardships we have gone through, especially the deplorable phenomena of floods and drought in some parts of the Island, we still give thanks to God for this year's harvest which is generally good. This is a source of comfort and joy to the farmers in many areas.

Our common goal is to eradicate this pandemic completely from our country so that the "peace" transmitted by Jesus to his disciples will be effective and that the whole Malagasy population will be joyful and healthy again. This requires our solidarity, our communion and invites us to join hands with one another. So, we beg you, let us strive to silence all misplaced ambitions and let us not confuse this health struggle that we share with political disputes. We, Bishops, rely on the wisdom of all citizens.

We reiterate here the appeals that have already been made by Cardinal Désiré TSARAHAZANA, President of the Episcopal Conference of Madagascar, on the duty of each one to follow to the letter the health disciplines imposed by state officials, in order to protect our own life and that of others. We thank all those who have voluntarily followed these rules because it is through the effort of each one that we are able to stop the spread of this virus. It is a true act of charity and mutual trust that we are doing so. Health is a common good that we must safeguard at all costs.

"Remain in the city until you are clothed in the power from above." "All with one heart, were diligent in prayer... with Mary, the Mother of Jesus."

From the beginning of this pandemic, we have never ceased to turn to God for his mercy, guidance and protection. Let us continue to pray deeply in faith and hope, confident that Christ, who has already defeated death and all the powers of evil, will never leave us alone. And that after this long trial, the sun of peace and happiness, which the Lord has always wished for us, will appear to us again

We present here our sincere condolences to all the families who have lost their "dear ones" because of the various epidemics that have recently appeared in our country. We entrust them into the hands of God.

To all of you who are still undergoing treatment, we wish you a good and quick recovery and pray for you. Our solidarity with the sick would help them to recover quickly. We therefore invite society to never exclude our fellow human beings who carry the virus.

We are still in the month of May, the month of Mary Patroness of Madagascar. We entrust our lives to her prayer so that we may be successful again and unite their voices to implore to defeat this pandemic and which has always shown its closeness through its constant prayers and words of encouragement, through symbolic gestures of love and hope, as we have followed them through the media and social networks. health. The feast of Pentecost, during which we will receive the fire of the Holy Spirit, is also very close. We invite everyone to do the Novena of Preparation starting on the Friday after the Ascension. Let us always consolidate our faith.

"Father God, help us to keep the grace that comes from You, to rekindle in us the gifts of Your Holy Spirit! ".

We, your Bishops, comfort you, we carry you in prayer and we bless you.

Dated  this 21st day may, 2020,

• His eminence Cardinal Désiré TSARAHAZANA, Archbishop of Toamasina , President of the Episcopal Conference of Madagascar.
• S.Exc.Mgr Samuélin Marie Fabien RAHARILAMBONIAINA, Bishop of Morondava,
• S.Exc.Mgr Jean Claude RANDRIANARISOA,Bishop of Miarinarivo,
• S.Exc.Mgr Benjamin Marc RAMAROSON,Archbishop of Antsiranana and Apostolic Administrator of Ambanja
• S.Exc.Mgr Odon Marie Arsène RAZANAKOLONA, Archbishop of Antananarivo
• S.Exc.Mgr Fulgence RABEMAHAFALY,Archbishop of  Fianarantsoa,
• S.Exc.Mgr Fulgence RABEONY,Archbishop of Toliary
• S.Exc.Mgr Georges Varkey PITHIYAKULANGARA,Bishop of  Port-Bergé
• S.Exc.Mgr Marcellin RANDRIAMAMONJY,Bishop of Fénérive-Est
• S.Exc.Mgr Jean de Dieu RAOELISON,Bishop of Ambatondrazaka
• S.Exc.Mgr Saro Rosario VELLA,Bishop of Moramanga
• S.Exc.Mgr Gustavo BOMBIN ESPINO,Bishop of Maintirano and Apostolic Administrator of Mahajanga
• S.Exc.Mgr Philippe RANAIVOMANANA,Bishop of Antsirabe
• S.Exc.Mgr Fidelis RAKOTONARIVO,Bishop of Ambositra
• S.Exc.Mgr José Alfredo CAIRES DE NOBREGA,Bishop of Mananjary,
• S.Exc.Mgr Fulgence RAZAKARIVONY ,Bishop of Ihosy
• S.Exc.Mgr Gaetano DI PIERRO,Bishop of Farafangana
• S.Exc.Mgr Zygmunt ROBASZKIEWICZ,Bishop of Morombe
• S.Exc.Mgr Vincent RAKOTOZAFY, Bishop of Tolagnaro
• S.Exc.Mgr Jean Pascal ANDRANTSOAVINA, Auxiliary Bishop of Antananarivo
• S.Exc.Mgr Raymond RAZAKARIVONY,Bishop Emeritus ofMiarinarivo
• S.Exc.Mgr Michel MALO, Bishop Emeritus of Antsiranana
• S.Exc.Mgr Antonio SCOPELLITI, Bishop Emeritus of Ambatondrazaka
• S.Exc.Mgr Joseph Donald Léo PELLETIER, Bishop Emeritus of Morondava
• S.Exc.Mgr Armand TOASY, Bishop Emeritus of Port-Bergé
• Fr. Jean Claude RAKOTOARISOA, Diocesan Administrator of Tsiroanomandidy.