Pope, on Madagascar visit, condemns clan culture of privilege, graft

Pope Francis celebrates Sunday Mass at the diocesan grounds of Soamandrakizay in Antananarivo, Madagascar, September 8, 2019.REUTERS/Yara Nardi

ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Pope Francis, on a visit to Madagascar, on Sunday condemned what he said was its clan culture of privilege and corruption that allows a very few to live in wealth while the vast majority languish in grinding poverty.

He spoke in a homily at a Mass on a sprawling field on the outskirts of the capital Antananarivo for hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom had spent the night outdoors in unseasonably cool weather. The Vatican said local organisers had estimated the crowd at about a million people.