Commentary 24/09/12 Pope Francis reminds Singapore to ‘care for the fragile’

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Pope Francis reminds Singapore to ‘care for the fragile’

Stresses the need to focus on migrants and workers who continue to toil for the city-state's prosperity

Pope Francis leads a Holy Mass at the National Stadium in Singapore on Sept. 12. (Photo: AFP)

By Vanitha Nadaraj

Published: September 13, 2024 04:17 AM GMT

Updated: September 13, 2024 04:33 AM GMT

The message of Pope Francis to Singapore, Asia’s economic hub and one of the world’s most expensive cities, was consistent but hard-hitting. Take care of the “fragile” amid prosperity and glamor, he said.

The 87-year-old Catholic leader commended the city-state in his speeches for its progress and economic standing. But in his gentle, grandfatherly manner, he kept reminding the people to temper all this with humanity.

He stressed the need to focus on the people, who made possible beautiful buildings and well-oiled systems and processes, and their sacrifices.

At some point, he singled out migrants and the vulnerable, but for the most part, he was referring to all who had contributed to Singapore's current state, including the Catholic Church.

It is hard to predict what impact his message will have, not just on Catholics but on others, too. But it indeed helped to put the focus on the fragile migrants and the vulnerable workers who continue to toil in Singapore.

The fragile in Singapore

A Myanmar migrant worker who identified himself only as Khai attended the papal Mass and said it gave him the opportunity to put the plight of his community and the future of his country before God.

“I hope for peace in Myanmar, for a good government, for family safety and health,” the nursing home worker told UCA News.

He was among the more than 100 Myanmar Catholics given seats for the Mass Pope Francis led on the evening of Sept. 12.

Singapore has 30,000 to 40,000 undocumented Myanmar migrant domestic workers and some 200,000 Myanmar people in the city, according to published documents.

Khai and some of his countrymen came in their colorful traditional attire.

A group of four Sri Lankan women and one man also opted for traditional clothes. They were the committee members of the Sri Lankan Catholic Community in Singapore.

“It’s a very special thing to see the pope,” said 50-year-old Christa Fernando who is a domestic helper. “I want to touch his logu [robe in Singhalese].”

Ann Pereira who is 55 and also a domestic helper said her Catholic employer encouraged her to go when she was offered a seat pass. The employer herself was unable to attend the Mass because she was overseas.

The Myanmar migrants and Sri Lankan workers were among the 300-odd attendees who were given a special seat allocation in the 55,000-capacity National Stadium for the Mass.

The Singapore crowd, which had been sitting calmly, leaped up and shouted when Pope Francis arrived in his buggy and blessed the children who were either carried to him or came running up to him.

He also passed a group of people in wheelchairs and crutches and blessed a mother who brought a special needs child to him.

Singaporean Catholics were the majority in the stadium. One of them was Rita Arozoo who sat quietly as the crowd started to enter to attend the papal Mass. The 73-year-old had just made the hard decision to remain in the stadium instead of rushing to her brother who was on his deathbed.

“I’m praying for my brother. The doctor just called me — he said anytime,” she told UCA News.

She didn’t know if she should skip the Mass and rush to her brother’s side or just remain there. Her husband told her to stay on because her brother had been ill for a while and that they had been expecting the inevitable.

“If I could only touch the pope …” her voice trailed and tears welled up in her eyes.

Rehearsed and disciplined  

The papal visit to Singapore went smoothly, orderly, and according to plan from when he arrived here for a three-day visit on Sept. 11, on the last lap of his marathon four-nation 11-day tour of the Asia-Pacific.

There was an air of unnaturalness when about 1,000 volunteers from the city-state’s 33 parishes were bussed to Singapore's Changi Airport to greet the pontiff.

They shouted “Viva Papa Francisco” in unison under the instruction of a leader with a loudhailer as the pope passed them in a buggy.  It was all carefully planned and rehearsed, and the volunteers were selected. 

Unlike in other nations he visited, there were no people — from all religions — lining the streets, waving flags as the papal vehicle passed, and shouting with joy at a glimpse of the pope.

It is just that Singapore has always liked order and discipline. Its education system emphasizes them, and the country has strict laws to maintain order. This plus pragmatism has made the country what it is today. Forbes places Singapore as the fourth richest country in the world.

It needs to be understood that this is how Singapore functions. Pragmatism, orderliness and discipline are in its people's  DNA and have been for generations.

It was introduced by founding father Lee Kuan Yew and instilled in them through schools, public housing estates and workplaces.

On the last day, he visited a Church-run old age home in the city and spoke to and spent some time with its aged people, a group of them sitting in wheelchairs.

Pope Francis’ trip could be the spiritual boost needed by the almost 400,000 Catholics who form about 10 percent of the population. The country is witnessing a trend where “no religion” is the fastest-growing category.

Wheelchair impact

The question is what impact Pope Francis’ visit will have on ordinary Singaporeans. While the Catholics are jubilant over his presence and see his presence as strong spiritual encouragement, the public in general seem to be oblivious or ignorant.

The visit by one of the most influential people whose organization has a presence in almost every country is likely to be forgotten the minute he leaves on Sept 13.

The city-state will then start preparing for the next big event which is the mega Grand Prix on Sept 22. It will be as if nothing had happened.

As for the Catholics, they are still basking in the spiritual experience they experienced during the papal Mass and this is evident from the amount of social media content generated and shared. The spillover is being felt in Malaysia, many of whom had followed the Mass through live streaming. 

Much of the responses and actions from the faithful seem rehearsed and planned but there is nothing else that can be expected of pragmatic Singapore. They rehearsed their chants and the Kallang Wave which is their version of the Mexican wave, and color-coordinated their attire to match the Vatican colors of yellow and white.

Timor-Leste will be remembered for the papal Mass that saw more than half its population at the celebration.

The image of Pope Francis holding the arm of the grand imam of the Istiqlal Mosque, Nasaruddin Umar, and him kissing the head of the pope will be forever etched in the memory of not just Catholics but others as well.

His visit to a school in Papua New Guinea that provides educational opportunities for girls is significant given the discrimination and violence women suffer in the country.

The Singapore visit will be remembered for the global Catholic leader in a wheelchair moving around a group of fragile people in wheelchairs.

*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.