World Youth Days are held in Antsirabe, from August 30 to September 4. They are reserved for people in good health.
BIG crowd in sight in the city of Waters, next week. Nearly thirty thousand people will be present in the capital of the Vakinankaratra region, during the World Youth Days (WYD) which will be held from August 30 to September 4 in Antsirabe, according to estimates by the organizers of the event. “This event will bring together many people. We received the registration of twenty-eight thousand five hundred pilgrims. Several partners have also announced their presence”, announces Father Gabriel Randrianantenaina, coordinating secretary of the Conference of Bishops of Madagascar. It was at the episcopate in Antanimena, yesterday, during the press conference on the organization of WYD.
The event is reserved for people in good health. Medical visits were carried out at the level of the dioceses to sort out the people suitable to participate. “Those who suffer from a chronic illness, such as epilepsy, or who suffer from other illnesses such as stomach aches, for example, are not allowed to go there”, indicates a parish priest.
A vigil
The organizers are taking precautions in the face of what happened in Soamandrakizay, during the high mass celebrated during the visit of Pope Francis to Madagascar, in September 2019. A woman died during the vigil from September 7 to 8, and more than a thousand people had fallen ill. Officials also recall that wearing a mask and barrier gestures are compulsory during this pilgrimage.
The pilgrims will arrive in Antsirabe on August 30 and 31. More than sixty reception centres, spread over sixteen sites, have been prepared to accommodate them. The opening ceremony will take place on the followingnoon of August 31, when everyone is settled. A vigil will precede the great closing mass on September 4.
Father Jean Luc Ratovonjanahary, national chaplain of the National Catholic Youth Service, invites pilgrims to show solidarity, sacrifice, convey peace and respect instructions. “There may be imperfections. It’s not easy to organize an event of this size,” he says.
Kit color controversy
Father Jean Luc Ratovonjanahary wants to close the controversy around the color of the kit offered by the State for the thirty thousand pilgrims to WYD in Antsirabe. “The color of the kit should not bring changes to the pilgrimage. It is a gift, and we accept it as such. Young people need to focus on prayer, and that’s what’s important,” he stresses. Many faithful Catholics denounce the use of the color of a political party at this event. “It’s trampling on the identity of the Church, and bowing to an electoralist policy,” says a fervent Catholic.
