SINGAPORE. Pope Francis concluded his four-nation Asia tour on Friday with a powerful message of interfaith tolerance, urging the people of Singapore and the world to foster understanding and dialogue among different religions. His visit to the city-state, known for its religious diversity, echoed the same sentiments he expressed at the start of his journey: that tolerance and collaboration between faiths are essential to healing a troubled world.
During his final event in Singapore, Francis presided over a gathering of young people representing the many religious traditions present in the country. In Singapore, mosques, Buddhist temples, and Christian churches stand side by side amidst the city’s iconic skyscrapers, symbolizing its long tradition of religious coexistence.
In an unscripted moment, the Pope set aside his prepared remarks and encouraged the youth to take risks in their lives, even if it meant making mistakes. He then returned to his central theme of interfaith tolerance, emphasizing the importance of constructive dialogue between different faiths, rather than insisting on the superiority of one’s own beliefs.
“All religions are a path to arrive at God,” the Pope told the crowd. “They are like different languages to arrive there. But God is God for all.”
This closing message mirrored the Pope’s broader appeal for global unity through tolerance, a recurring theme throughout his 11-day journey across Southeast Asia. His trip took him to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor before arriving in Singapore, covering a total of 32,814 kilometers (20,390 miles) — the longest trip of his pontificate, and one of the farthest papal journeys ever undertaken.
While in Singapore, Francis highlighted the country’s tradition of interfaith harmony and praised its impressive economic development. He particularly focused on encouraging the Catholic population, which makes up about 3.5% of the nearly 6 million residents. Singapore’s population is religiously diverse: 31% identify as Buddhists, 19% as Christians, 15% as Muslims, while about a fifth claim no religious belief, according to the 2020 census.
Francis also made a public appeal during his stay for the fair treatment of Singapore’s immigrant workers, urging that they be treated with dignity and receive a fair wage. His remarks were overwhelmingly positive, with the pontiff avoiding any mention of controversial issues, including Singapore’s use of capital punishment. Although Francis has previously condemned the death penalty as “inadmissible” in all circumstances, he refrained from raising the issue publicly during his stay, perhaps out of deference to his hosts.
The Pope’s visit to Singapore, his first as the head of the Catholic Church, is believed to have been closely watched by neighboring China, where the Vatican has been working to improve diplomatic relations. Francis has long championed interfaith dialogue as a key component of his vision for global peace and unity, and his call for religious tolerance in Singapore marks the final chapter in one of the longest and most significant trips of his pontificate.
As Francis boarded the Singapore Airlines flight back to Rome—a 12-hour, 35-minute journey—he wrapped up not only his tour of Asia but also one of the longest papal voyages in modern history. Only some of the travels of St. John Paul II in the 1980s exceeded the distance and duration of this trip.
Pope Francis’ message was clear throughout his journey: religious coexistence and interfaith dialogue are essential to creating a more peaceful and just world.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
