Pope Francis is due to speak to authorities in Singapore on Thursday, the fourth and final stop on his regional tour, where his 48-hour visit is aimed at encouraging the development of the Catholic Church in Asia.
Thirty-eight years after John Paul II, Francis arrived in this cosmopolitan city-state of six million inhabitants on Wednesday, the fourth and final stop on his ambitious tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania.
Singapore, an independent state since 1965 and one of the most developed in Asia, particularly in terms of industry and technology, is the subject of criticism over its respect for human rights and the severity of its judicial system, which still applies the death penalty.
On Thursday morning, Jorge Bergoglio will be officially received in Parliament and will meet with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
At 10:30 a.m. (02:30 GMT), he will deliver a first speech to the authorities, the diplomatic corps and civil society at the National University of Singapore.
“Singapore is a very small island with global ambitions. Like the Vatican, for other reasons, not economic but religious. So these two states have every interest in working together,” Michel Chambon, a theologian and anthropologist, researcher at the National University of Singapore, explained to AFP.
While not immune to racism and discrimination, Singapore is often hailed as a cultural melting pot with permissive laws, at least when it comes to religion.
Inter-religious dialogue will also be one of the themes of this visit, with a meeting with young people planned for Friday.
– “Very moved” –
In the afternoon, Francis will preside over a large open-air mass at the national stadium, where some 50,000 faithful are expected.
“I think I’m going to cry when I see him. I’m already very emotional,” said Welinda Elorde, 56, a Filipina businesswoman who hopes seeing the pope will help her permanently cure cancer.
This visit could see the Pope raise, in the background, the delicate question of relations with China, a few weeks before the possible renewal of an agreement between the Holy See and Beijing on the appointment of bishops.
The tropical island is home to a Chinese majority and significant Malay, Indian and Eurasian minorities. Christians make up about 19% of the population, the majority of which are Buddhist.
Despite his health problems and the hectic pace of this trip, the longest and most distant of his pontificate, the head of the Catholic Church has so far appeared in good shape, defying doubts about his ability to handle such a grueling journey and responding with a smile to numerous requests.
The Pope, who uses a wheelchair, displayed great resilience on Tuesday during a gigantic crowd bath of 600,000 faithful in Dili, capital of East Timor, after a mass lasting nearly 2.5 hours in tropical heat.
The 12-day tour will end on Friday after a 33,000 km journey through four countries (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore).
bur-cmk/ebe/lpa
