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VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Francis concluded his tour-de-force through Southeast Asia on Friday (Sept. 13) with a 48-hour visit to Singapore, where he showcased not only his ability to draw large crowds but also his willingness to be a welcoming and adaptable partner to countries in Asia, including China.
Pope Francis celebrated Mass in honor of Mary at the nearly packed Singapore Sports Hub National Stadium, where 50,000 people gathered to catch a glimpse of the head of the Roman Catholic Church. For a country where only 6.7% of the population identifies as Catholic, it came as a surprise that Francis could compete with international artists who performed at the same venue this year, including Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift.
But it wasn’t just Singaporean Catholics who competed for seats at the papal Mass, but also faithful from neighboring countries for whom this might have been the only chance to see the pope up close. This was true for the delegation of Catholics from China and Hong Kong, but also faithful from Vietnam and Malaysia.
China and Vietnam do not have official diplomatic relations with the Holy See, but in December 2023, Pope Francis appointed the first resident papal representative to Vietnam, Archbishop Marek Zalewski, paving the way toward official recognition.
Relations between Beijing and the Vatican remain more complex, but Francis has long sought to build a bridge with the nascent superpower and second most populous country in the world. In 2018, the Vatican signed a provisional agreement for the appointment of bishops in China, which has led to mixed results and is up for renewal in October.
The deal hoped to mend the fracture between the officially recognized Catholic Church in China and the so-called “underground Church” that is loyal to Rome. The two ecclesial realities have been at odds for decades, and the new agreement hopes to finally unify them by appointing bishops who have the stamp of approval from both Beijing and the pope. But critics of the deal argue that the agreement has pushed the pope into a corner where he can no longer call out human rights infringements by China.
Pope Francis, right, attends an interreligious meeting with young people at the Catholic Junior College in Singapore, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. Pope Francis is wrapping up his visit to Singapore by praising its tradition of interfaith harmony. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Francis’ trip through Asia has been heavily scrutinized by Chinese authorities, according to theologian and anthropologist Michel Chambon, research fellow at the National University of Singapore. In an interview with LaCroix International, Chambon said that the Chinese Communist Party allowed for the pope’s speeches and events to be streamed live on social media.
Especially in Singapore, where 75% of the population is ethnically Chinese, Francis had the opportunity to project his style of papacy, which is respectful of other religious realities and willing to “render out to Caesar what is Caesar’s.”
On Thursday, Francis met with the civil and political authorities in Singapore, where he underlined the need for Singapore to be a mediator in the current context of war and conflict. While the pope made no specific reference to a particular conflict, the Vatican has sought to negotiate peace in Ukraine following the Russian invasion in 2022.
Pope Francis appointed a peace envoy, the Cardinal Matto Zuppi, to meet with political leaders in Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. and China to attempt to promote a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Francis also addressed the specific challenges of Singapore following its rapid growth into an economic powerhouse. The population of 6.2 million is characterized by religious diversity, especially due to economic migrants: 31% of Singaporeans identify as Buddhist, 18.9% as Christian, 15.6% as Muslim, 8.8% as Taoist and 5% as Hindu. Around 20% of the population doesn’t subscribe to any religious belief.
“I would like to highlight the risk entailed in focusing solely on pragmatism or placing merit above all things, namely the unintended consequence of justifying the exclusion of those on the margins from benefiting from progress,” he told political leaders on Thursday.
The pope also urged politicians to give special attention to the poor and the elderly while also “protecting the dignity of migrant workers” who “contribute a great deal to society and should be guaranteed a fair wage.”
On the last day of his visit on Friday, the pope met with local clergy for a private meeting before visiting a center for the sick and elderly. His final event in Singapore was the Interreligious Meeting with Young People at the Catholic Junior College. There, the pope engaged in lively conversation with young people and heard three testimonies — from Hindu, Sikh and Catholic young people engaged in interreligious dialogue — that addressed issues ranging from religious tolerance to artificial intelligence.
“All religions are a journey leading to God. They are, to make a comparison, like different languages, different idioms, to get there. But God is for everyone. And since God is God for everyone, we are all children of God,” Francis said, speaking off the cuff.
On Friday afternoon, the pope departed to return to Rome following a two-week journey that led him the farthest he’s ever been from the Vatican. The trip has been arduous for the 87-year-old pontiff, who nonetheless shrugged off the struggles of moving from podium to pope-mobile to wheelchair. In his new state of vulnerability, Francis made a point of meeting with disabled people, and especially children, at every stop of his trip.
“Each of us has his abilities and disabilities. Do we all have abilities? Do we all have some disability? Even the pope?” Francis said preachingly to Singaporean children, who answered with a loud “yes!” to his questions.
“Yes, all, all! And just as we have our disabilities, we must respect the disabilities of others,” the pope added.
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