Venue for Public Papal Mass in Madagascar, Soamandrakizay, Almost Ready for Sept. 8 Event

Antananarivo, 28 August, 2019 / 1:02 PM

The venue where Pope Francis will preside over Holy Mass in Madagascar, Soamandrakizay, is being made ready for the Sunday, September 8 public event, sources say.

“The site is 90% ready for the celebration of the Pontifical Mass on September 8,” Fr. Gabriel Randrianantenaina told ACI Africa Tuesday.

“The technicians are in the process of settling the last details concerning the electrical and sanitary equipment of the site,” Fr. Randrianantenaina who is coordinating the Committee for Social Communication has said.

“Engineers at the site have reassured the Local Organizing Committee the finishing works will be completed in the days ahead,” he disclosed.

Constructed on a surface area of 60 hectares, the venue for the Public Papal Mass is intended to accommodate 800,000 people during the September 8 event.

The government is yet to finalize the four roads that converge on the Soamandrakizay site.

According to local media reports, the government is also fine-tuning strategies to ensure security and order during the Pope’s visit.

During the weeklong Pope’s visit to Mozambique, Madagascar, and Mauritius, he will spend more time in Madagascar than in the other two nations.

Sensitization campaigns are to be conducted in Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, to inform the public about the security measures taken by the government during the pastoral trip by the Pontiff.

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