September 9, 2019

Tomorrow, September 10, Pope Francis returns to Rome after a six-day apostolic trip to the east African nation of Mozambique and the nearby island nations of Madagascar and Mauritius—the “Three M’s” of the Indian Ocean. Apostolic is another word for papal or having to do with the pope. Throughout the trip, enthusiastic crowds turned out to welcome the pope, who travelled to the three nations as “a pilgrim of peace, hope, and reconciliation.” Francis has been leader of the Roman Catholic Church since 2013.

Pope Francis is concluding a trip to Mozambique, Madagascar, and Mauritius. Credit: © Giulio Napolitano, Shutterstock

On September 4, Francis arrived in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, where about 40 percent of the people are Catholic. (Madagascar and Mauritius have Catholic populations of roughly 30 percent.) On September 5, the pope visited Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi at the Palácio da Ponta Vermelha (Palace of the Red Point), the president’s official residence. Francis then met with civil and religious authorities and members of the diplomatic corps. He hosted an interreligious prayer meeting with young people before paying a private visit to the “Matthew 25″ House, which helps homeless and impoverished children. On September 6, Francis visited Zimpeto Hospital and celebrated Mass before some 60,000 people at Zimpeto Stadium. (Zimpeto is an area of Maputo.) He then departed for Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar.

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Maputo is at the southern tip of Mozambique. Madagascar lies across the Mozambique Channel. Credit: WORLD BOOK map

On September 7, Francis visited President Andry Rajoelina at the Iavoloha Palace just outside Antananarivo. Formal meetings then preceded a prayer service at the Monastery of the Discalced Carmelites and a visit to the tomb of the Blessed Victoire Rasoamanarivo (1848-1894), a Malagasy woman who dedicated her life to helping the poor of Madagascar. Pope John Paul II beatified Rasoamanarivo (declared her among the blessed in heaven) in 1989. On Sept. 8, 2019, Pope Francis celebrated Mass before visiting the Akamasoa City of Friendship foundation for the poor. He led a prayer for workers and met with religious officials before leaving for Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, on September 9.

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Port Louis lies on the west coast of Mauritius. Credit: WORLD BOOK map

Francis began his day (today) in Mauritius with a Mass at the Monument of Mary Queen of Peace in Port Louis. The pope then visited the shrine of the French Catholic priest and missionary Père Jacques-Désiré Laval (1803-1864). Laval (also beatified by John Paul II) dedicated his life to helping the poor and sick of Mauritius, and his shrine is said to have miraculous qualities. The day of Laval’s death, September 9—the day of the pope’s visit—is a special day of celebration and reverence for Catholics of the region. Francis then met with Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and acting President Barlen Vyapoory before returning by plane to Antananarivo. Tomorrow, September 10, a final ceremony at Ivato International Airport precedes his scheduled return flight to the Vatican in Rome.

Francis is from Argentina. He is the first pope from Latin America and the first Jesuit pope. Jesuits are members of a religious order called the Society of Jesus. Francis is known for his commitment to social justice, especially for the poor; his humble lifestyle; and his conservative religious beliefs. Francis visited Panama for World Youth Day in January 2019, and in February he became the first pope to visit the United Arab Emirates. Francis travelled to Morocco in March and to the Balkan states of Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Romania in May and June.

April 26, 2019

Last month, in March, Tropical Cyclone Idai struck the southeastern coast of Africa. One of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, Idai caused catastrophic landslides and flooding that killed more than 1,000 people in Mozambique and in neighboring Malawi and Zimbabwe. The storm left more than 300,000 people homeless and led to deadly outbreaks of cholera and increased cases of malaria. More than a month later, thousands of people remain missing in affected areas, and government and international aid agencies continue to struggle to provide badly needed food, water, and medical supplies.

On March 23, 2019, residents of Beira, a coastal city in central Mozambique, survey the damage done by Cyclone Idai. Credit: © Yasuyoshi Chiba, AFP/Getty Images

Cyclone Idai formed as a tropical depression over the warm waters of the southwestern Indian Ocean in early March. The storm intensified into a cyclone as it struck central Mozambique on March 4. Torrential rains and deadly winds whipped coastal areas for days as Idai spun along the Mozambique Channel between the African mainland and the island of Madagascar. Idai varied in strength, until reaching peak intensity with winds of 150 miles (240 kilometers) per hour on March 14. After 17 days of damage and deluge, the storm finally weakened and dissipated on March 21.

This satellite image shows Cyclone Idai in the Mozambique Channel on March 14, 2019. Credit: NASA

The broad and determined storm reached inland to Malawi and Zimbabwe and pelted coastal areas of Madagascar. The storm extensively damaged or destroyed vital infrastructure, including communication networks, hospitals, roads, sanitation facilities, and schools. Wide swaths of farmland were ruined, portions of forests were flattened by high winds, and flooding created a temporary inland sea in Mozambique that measured some 80 miles (130 kilometers) long and 15 miles (24 kilometers) wide. Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi called Cyclone Idai a “humanitarian disaster of great proportion.”

Mozambique. Credit: WORLD BOOK map

Mozambique’s typically able Instituto Nacional de Gestão de Calamidades (National Disasters Management Institute) was overwhelmed by the scale of Idai’s destruction, and an urgent note verbale (formal diplomatic notice) went out requesting international help. The Red Cross and Red Crescent, Doctors Without Borders, and several United Nations organizations came to the rescue, as did the European Union and the governments of Canada, France, Portugal, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

Cyclone Idai was the seventh tropical cyclone of the Indian Ocean season, more than twice the average for this time of year. Globally, high-intensity storms have been occurring more frequently in recent years, a trend directly related to climate change. Global warming increases sea temperatures, creating more moisture and instability in the atmosphere—factors crucial to the birth of dangerous cyclones and hurricanes. Tropical cyclones need high humidity and surface water temperatures of 79 °F (26 °C ) or higher to form. Melting glaciers and ice have increased global sea levels, resulting in more frequent and intense flooding in coastal areas around the world.