“Growth cannot be the goal of humanity”, laments Father Pedro on a visit to Monaco
First in Paris, then on Friday in Monaco to meet Monsignor Dominique-Marie David and discuss with the first year students of François d’Assise-Nicolas Barré, but also in Grasse and Nice last weekend to promote son book resistpublished by Éditions Du Rocher, and finally in Laghet to celebrate Sunday mass, Father Pedro made a series of visits before returning to Madagascar where he has worked alongside the poor for half a century.
In Paris, did you meet the French authorities to raise funds for Madagascar?
No, I’m not looking to meet them. On the other hand, I had three interviews with Brigitte Macron. She welcomed me with great respect, joy and enthusiasm. But she told me that she had to take care of the children of France first. I asked him to solicit French companies working in Madagascar.
Your latest book with a somewhat provocative title: Resist! Are you calling on everyone to go into resistance?
Yes it is provocative. Humbly, in Madagascar, we wanted to help families who were forgotten by society. There are more than 30,000 inhabitants, including 18,376 school children in Akamasoa and in the villages we have built. 500,000 people have passed through our reception centres. Poverty is not inevitable. With faith, love and perseverance, we can change a hopeless situation. We prove it by deeds and not by words. I am surrounded by 750 young Malagasy people trying to help their compatriots.
“The fight against poverty has no end”
It is a tremendous success!
It’s a word I never use. But we have taken the right direction. I always tell my teammates, “Don’t sleep on your feet! Don’t be self-indulgent.” If God gives us life and health, the fight against poverty has no end.
How did you manage to build with your own hands?
I thank my father who taught me masonry. I am the first boy in a family of eight children. My father took me to construction sites during school holidays when I was 9 years old. He taught me a trade and it helped me a lot. At 14, I already knew how to lift a wall, do plaster and at 17 I participated in the construction of a house for the poorest people in Argentina where we lived. Thousands of houses in Madagascar followed. Housing, access to health care and being able to eat one’s fill is a right for all; as every child has the right to be educated. It’s not a privilege.
“There are even tourists who come (…) And they cry with joy.”
Some think that these great fights, but also the environmental cause, are lost in advance.
If we have love, if you love all of humanity, you can’t give up. I’m not saying it’s easy. Behind me, I have thousands of children who push me and encourage me to go forward. When I sometimes look at Akamasoa, I wonder who did all this. It’s God, with all of us, with the donors too. With Monaco Aide et Présence (MAP), we have visited more than 25 schools. And APPO Monaco helped us to pay the salaries of our teachers.
When you celebrate mass in Madagascar, what is the fervor of the faithful?
It is a party ! I can’t get used to this. Every Sunday for 33 years in Akamasoa, there is always something new. We are made to create, to invent. So why don’t we invent gestures of solidarity, gestures that awaken hope? There are even tourists who come, encouraged by the tourist guides. And they cry with joy. The poorest have become those who help the wealthy get back to basics. Because it is a question of having a meaning in life, with spiritual values.
How do you view the West, which is suffering from inflation and the loss of purchasing power?
When I come to France, I see the gloomy atmosphere. Everyone is running I don’t know where. People care about purchasing power. But that’s not the meaning of life. You live a hundred times better than in Madagascar! The purpose of a lifetime is to serve your brothers and sisters to be better and happy yourself. I thank the French Academy which does not allow to write “happy” in the singular. We can only be happy together. And, North and South, we are on the same planet. We must help where there is courage, authenticity, truth.
“I’m angry. The administration is too slow.”
Are you in favor of downsizing?
Of course! Growth cannot be humanity’s goal. We need growth commensurate with humanity, proportional to the number of inhabitants on this Earth. You have to see things as a whole.
Aren’t you sometimes discouraged?
No, but I’m angry. Administration is too slow. I made an aid file for eighteen months which was finally refused. I would like those who direct us and who are sick to hear from the mouths of the doctors: “Wait…Come tomorrow…” We need more efficiency, more respect. Because people support physically but also spiritually. Fortunately, we have private donors!
“I denounce corruption”
Do you have specific projects for Madagascar?
Still! We need a hundred new homes a year, roads, new classrooms, schools,…
How do you deal with corruption?
I denounce it. It is one of the primary causes of poverty. I see at least once by the President of the Republic of Madagascar. He tries to move the lines. He is aware of this.