The Vatican and the Republic of Madagascar

Travels of Pope Francis: 2019 Upper Left Label Represents Visit to Mozambique, Mauritania and Madagascar Scott 1753 (2020) On August 17, 2023, Pope Francis met with the president of the Republic of Madagascar, Mr. Andry Nirina Rajoelina. Madagascar (officially the Republic of Madagascar) is an island country lying off the southeastern coast of Africa. Statistically, it is the fourth largest island in the world (after Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo—Australia is not technically an island), the second-largest island country (after Indonesia) and the 46th largest country in the world. First settled by Arabs during the tenth century, the first Europeans to come to the island were likely the Portuguese around the year 1500, with their first settlement being established at Matatana. The predominant religious belief in Madagascar is Christianity. Approximately 85% of the country's population identifies as Christian, with around 38% specifically identifying as Catholics. This may explain the strong relationship between the Holy See and the Republic. During his visit, President Rajoelina and his party met with the pope, as well as with Mons. Mirosław Wachowski, the Undersecretary for the Relations with States at The Holy See. Their discussions highlighted the positive bilateral relations enjoyed by the Holy See and Madagascar, as well as the Catholic Church's contributions to many sectors of Malagasy society…[and] encompassed various national and international topics. These included the ongoing war in Ukraine and its global repercussions, along with several crises affecting the African continent. During his meeting with President Rajoelina, Pope Francis recalled his Apostolic Visit to Madagascar in September of 2019. At the conclusion of their meeting, a photo was taken with a ship model that was given to the pope during that visit (the photo is shown in the Vatican News link below). Pope Francis' visit to Madagascar was the second by a pope to the island nation, as Pope John Paul II had visited the country in 1989. Travels of Pope John Paul II, 1989 Scott C88 (1990) REFERENCES: Wikipedia, Madagascar VaticanNews.va, Pope Francis meets with President of Madagascar Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search