Singapore Welcomes Pope Francis

Pope Francis has reached the final leg of his 45th apostolic journey. The pontiff is in Singapore (September 11-13). Immediately after arriving at the Parliament building, the Pope met with the city-state president Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. The Pope received formal honors, including the presentation of an elegant white Dendrobium orchid (pictured above), which was named after him: Pope Francis. This gesture has become not only a tribute, but also a symbol of respect and hospitality, a way to strengthen the bond between different cultures and traditions.

Singapore is the fourth and final leg of the Pontiff’s apostolic journey through Asia and Oceania: before traveling to Singapore, the Pope visited Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor. Like all of Pope Francis’s apostolic journeys, Singapore, the latest stop, “centers on themes of unity, hope, and the cross, with a special emphasis on human dignity, inclusiveness, commitment to peace and coexistence among different cultures and faiths.”

And during the meeting at the theater of the National University of Singapore Cultural Center, Bergoglio expressed hope that “special attention will be paid to the poor, the elderly whose labors have built the foundations of the Singapore we know today, and to protect the dignity of migrant workers who contribute to building society and who must be guaranteed fair wages.”

“In relations with non-Christian religions,” the Pope emphasized, “interreligious dialogue and cooperation between different religious communities must be developed in a spirit of openness and mutual respect, which is fundamental to building a just and peaceful society.” According to the Pontiff, “Singapore is a brilliant example of what humanity can achieve by working together in harmony, with a sense of responsibility, and in a spirit of inclusiveness and fraternity. I encourage you to continue following this path, trusting in God’s promise and His fatherly love for all.”

“Mutual respect, cooperation, dialogue, and the freedom to practice one’s faith while respecting common laws are the determining conditions for the success and stability achieved by Singapore, the requirements of a development that should not be conflictual and chaotic, but balanced and sustainable,” Pope Francis concluded.

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong recalled that “Singapore and the Vatican enjoy good people-to-people ties, with a history dating back to the early 1800s when the first Catholic Mass was held in the country.” According to Wong, “since then, Catholic institutions have made great contributions to our society in education, health, and many social areas. We are immensely grateful for this hard-to-measure contribution to our multiracial and multireligious society,” Wong emphasized, praising the “positive discussion with Pope Francis on the importance of interreligious dialogue and religious harmony.”

“These are areas of mutual interest between Singapore and the Vatican, and we look forward to further interaction and cooperation,” the Prime Minister emphasized.

The apostolic visit includes the service of Holy Mass at the National Stadium, after which Pope Francis will hold an interfaith meeting with young people at Catholic Junior College on Friday, September 13. The agenda for the Singapore visit, according to the Holy See, also includes “a private meeting with members of the Society of Jesus at the St. Francis Xaverian Retreat Center.”