Pope Francis landed in Singapore on Wednesday afternoon after visiting East Timor, where he is expected to promote interfaith dialogue and strengthen the Catholic Church’s influence in a region where it is a small minority.
The pope is on the final phase of a 12-day travel around Southeast Asia and Oceania, his longest trip as pope.
During his two-night visit in the city-state, a worldwide financial hub, the pope will deliver a speech to the country’s political leaders, where he may address concerns such as income inequality and climate change.
Francis will also hold a Mass, which the Vatican expects to gather 55,000 people, including Catholics from Hong Kong.
The Vatican is now renegotiating a contentious agreement with China over the appointment of Catholic bishops in the country, which is up for renewal in October.
Singapore, with a population of 5.92 million, is predominantly Buddhist, with approximately 31% identifying with that faith.
According to the Vatican, there are around 210,000 Catholics in the country. There are also vibrant Muslim, Hindu, and Taoist groups.
Inter-faith communication has been a prominent subject of Francis’ 11-year papacy, and in Singapore, he will host an inter-religious gathering of young people from various faith traditions.
Wealth disparity and climate change are other frequently discussed topics.
Singapore’s government says rising sea levels due to global warming could have major implications for its low-lying coastline and it is planning to spend S$100 billion over the course of the century on the issue.
While in the country, pope will also hold private meetings with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, and former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Francis is only the second pope to visit Singapore, following a brief 5-hour layover by the late John Paul II in 1986.
The pope arrived from Dili, East Timor’s capital, where on Tuesday he celebrated Mass with an estimated 600,000 of the country’s 1.3 million population, in one of the largest ever turnouts as a proportion of a country’s population for a Mass during a papal visit.
The meetings with political leaders and Mass will take place on Thursday, before he returns to Rome on Friday.
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