(Source)
Pope Francis arrived in Singapore on Wednesday, marking the final leg of his 12-day tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania that focused on the role of the Catholic Church in promoting interfaith dialogue. popewho earlier Indonesia visitedPapua New Guinea and East Timorwill focus on meetings with political leaders and organizing a mass rally expected to attract some 55,000 people.
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Meaning of the visit: This is the second papal visit ever to Singapore, the richest country in Asia, after a short stop by Pope John Paul II in 1986. Cardinal William Goh stressed the importance of the Pope’s message on human dignity, inclusivity and interreligious dialogue, noting: “Singapore and the Holy See share a common interest in promoting interreligious dialogue and understanding.” Singapore is a country of different faithswith 26% identifying as Buddhist, 18% as Muslim, 17% as Christian, 8% as Hindu, 6% as followers of traditional Chinese religions and 4% as others, including indigenous religions. Demographically, the country consists of 74.2% Chinese, 13.7% Malays and 8.9% Indians. Other population groups form 3.2%.
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What follows: On Thursday, the pope will meet with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, followed by public mass at the National Stadium. His messages are expected to focus on interfaith harmony, wealth inequality and climate change. Erik Hon, a local Buddhist fintech worker, told AFP that he hopes the Pope’s visit will “spread the message of love, peace and unity among all levels of humanity.” The Pope’s visit to Asia-Pacific comes as the Vatican is agreement with China on the appointment of bishops.
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