Pope Francis has reached Singapore, the Vatican announced Wednesday, the final destination of the 87-year-old pontiff’s 12-day tour of Southeast Asia, his longest trip to date.
The trip has included stops in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor, all of which are marked by widespread poverty. But in Singapore, one of the world’s richest countries, he will greet a very different group of worshippers.
Of the city-state’s 6 million inhabitants, only 176,000 are Catholic, according to the Vatican, as most of the population has Chinese roots.
In addition to meetings with political and religious representatives, Francis is also scheduled to attend a major church service on Thursday.
The pope is expected to return to Rome on Friday evening, where he will conclude his journey, which began in Indonesia and took him to four countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania.