{"id":22798,"date":"2025-06-17T22:29:54","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T22:29:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moneyformadagascar.org\/?p=22798"},"modified":"2025-06-17T22:29:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T22:29:54","slug":"whatever-your-reason-unite-to-change-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moneyformadagascar.org\/cy\/whatever-your-reason-unite-to-change-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"(English) Whatever your reason, unite to change the world"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mae’n ddrwg gen i, mae'r cofnod hwn dim ond ar gael mewn English<\/a>.<\/p>

<\/p>\n

Madagascar\u2019s Catholic bishops have discussed US aid withdrawal, and care for both the poor and the island\u2019s vital and vibrant environment, in a meeting with the Pope.<\/h4>\n

The Malagasy bishops travelled to the Vatican in a \u2018pilgrimage of hope\u2019 to meet Pope Leo XIV \u2013 the first such meeting since the latter was elected in May.<\/h4>\n

Bishop Marie-Fabien Raharilamboniaina, the Bishop of Morondava, led the bishops\u2019 address to the Pope telling him about the poverty of Malagasy people, and amongst other things asking him to intercede with US president Donald Trump to reverse funding cuts to Madagascar and other states in the Global South.<\/h4>\n

As we noted<\/a> in February this year, Trump\u2019s administration has slashed funding to development and aid projects, including those run by non-governmental organisations, and direct funding to governments.<\/h4>\n

Though we do not receive US government funding, these cuts will impact all Malagasy men, women and children, and all organisations working, as we do, in Madagascar, by increasing hardship and challenges for all.<\/h4>\n

The Centre for Global Development estimates that cuts made by the US government, as well as others including the UK and the Netherlands, will \u2013 even after factoring in promised increases from Japan and South Korea \u2013 leave Madagascar with almost US$130,000,000 (\u00a395.95m) less in 2026 than in 2024.<\/h4>\n

The Pope is unlikely to be able to have a great deal of impact on Donald Trump, most of who\u2019s supporters have since Leo\u2019s election been critical of the latter\u2019s position on global and local economics, care for poor people, and the environment.<\/h4>\n

But he did offer a message to the bishops \u2013 and to all Catholics around the world: to work to care for both the world\u2019s poorest people, and the environment of which we are all a part and upon which we all rely.<\/h4>\n

He said: \u2018Never turn away from the poor. They are at the heart of the Gospel and are the privileged recipients of the proclamation of the Good News. Recognise in them the face of Christ. and may your pastoral action always be animated by concrete concern for the little ones.<\/h4>\n

\u2018Following Pope Francis, I invite you to take care of our common home, to preserve the beauty of the great island, whose beauty and fragility have been entrusted to you. The care of our home is an integral part of your prophetic mission. Take care of creation which groans and teach your faithful the art of protecting it with justice and peace.\u2019<\/h4>\n

Roughly one-third of the Malagasy population is Catholic, but Money for Madagascar\u2019s work \u2013 like that Pope Leo describes \u2013 reaches beyond those people, even as it includes them.<\/h4>\n

Because we know that very nearly four in every five Malagasy people \u2013 79.9 per cent of the population \u2013 lives on or below the global poverty baseline of \u00a31,73 per day. We know that well over one million Malagasy people are on the edge of starvation, and many, many more suffer hunger every day: 50 per cent of Malagasy children suffer stunting caused by malnutrition.<\/h4>\n

And we know that in the search for better incomes, and to escape hunger, many people are driven to removing parts of the Malagasy rainforest to access land on which they can grow more food.<\/h4>\n

But this forest is vital to the survival of life on Earth, while the creatures and plants within it have the right to live their lives, as any person does.<\/h4>\n

And the forest\u2019s removal creates new land only in the short-term, as climate catastrophe, driven in part by the burning of the forests, leads to extreme rainfall, which washes away the fertile soil upon which Malagasy people rely.<\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we work with Malagasy men, women and children to help them identify, define and respond to their challenges. It is why we provide them with the platform \u2013 through training, equipment, education and finance \u2013 from which they can improve their incomes, escape hunger, and<\/em> protect and expand the wilderness upon which we all rely.<\/h4>\n

Whether you believe this is the will of a Christian, Jewish, Muslim or Hindu deity, the right thing to do, or the only possible pragmatic option in a world riven by inequality and poverty, and threatened by global catastrophe, we invite you to join with us, and make a positive difference to the world we all share, and our lives upon it.<\/h4>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mae’n ddrwg gen i, mae’r cofnod hwn dim ond ar gael mewn English. Madagascar\u2019s Catholic bishops have discussed US aid withdrawal, and care for both the poor and the island\u2019s vital and vibrant environment, in a meeting with the Pope. The Malagasy bishops travelled to the Vatican in a \u2018pilgrimage of hope\u2019 to meet Pope Leo XIV \u2013 the first such meeting since the latter was elected in May. Bishop Marie-Fabien Raharilamboniaina, the Bishop of Morondava, led the bishops\u2019 address to the Pope telling him about the poverty of Malagasy people, and amongst other things asking him to intercede with… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":22799,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[468,509,270,272,271,235,194,195,234,189,239,187,188,308,289,192,306,307,193],"tags":[115,205,512,510,511,196],"class_list":["post-22798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-biodiversity","category-bishops","category-climate","category-climate-catastrophe","category-climate-change","category-community","category-conservation","category-development","category-environment","category-fire","category-forest","category-madagascar","category-malagasy","category-netherlands","category-poverty","category-rainforest","category-us","category-usaid","category-wildlife","tag-madagascar","tag-malagasy","tag-nature","tag-pope","tag-pope-leo-xiv","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moneyformadagascar.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moneyformadagascar.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moneyformadagascar.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moneyformadagascar.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moneyformadagascar.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22798"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/moneyformadagascar.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22798\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22800,"href":"https:\/\/moneyformadagascar.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22798\/revisions\/22800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moneyformadagascar.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moneyformadagascar.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moneyformadagascar.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moneyformadagascar.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}