Pope lands in Singapore, final stop on grand Asia-Pacific tour

SINGAPORE — Pope Francis touched down in Singapore Wednesday, the last stop of a four-nation Asia-Pacific trip aimed at boosting the Catholic Church's standing in the world's most populous region.

Crowds waved Vatican and Singapore flags as Francis's plane arrived at the city-state's Changi Airport, on the last leg of a 12-day tour to the region.

The 87-year-old pontiff has defied doubts about his health during a journey that has taken him from a Jakarta grand mosque to a remote jungle of Papua New Guinea.

In recent years, the ailing pope has undergone hernia surgery and has been plagued by respiratory issues. He now relies on a wheelchair, walking sticks or aides to get around.

But throughout the trip, he has carried out dozens of public engagements, energised congregations through impromptu call-and-response and repeatedly sat for hours in the brutal tropical heat.

In East Timor, he held a mass for 600,000 faithful -- almost half the nation's population -- before flying on Wednesday to finance hub Singapore.

"It's a very long, arduous journey given his age and medical conditions," said 44-year-old Singapore healthcare worker Marcus Voon, who plans to attend a stadium mass on Thursday.
- 'Message of love' -

About 30 percent of Singaporeans are Buddhist, 20 percent have no religion and the rest are a mix of Catholic, Protestant, Taoist and Hindu.

Erik Hon, a 45-year-old Buddhist fintech worker, said he was "delighted" by the pope's visit, hoping it would "spread the message of love, peace and unity to all stripes of humanity".

"He sought to reach out to the marginalised and to deepen dialogue between different faiths and those without any faith."

Like many businesses, Francis is likely to use Singapore as a platform to reach the rest of the region and the world.

"The pope will most likely continue to underline a number of global issues that are not specific to a single country," said Michel Chambon, an expert on Christianity in Asia at the National University of Singapore.

"The importance of interreligious harmony and international peace, the need for a more resilient and equitable development as well as the necessity for stronger efforts to fight climate change," he said, suggesting familiar themes for this leg of the pope's trip.

For Asia's 100-million-plus Catholics, the tour has made them feel connected to a Church steeped in the customs and conventions of a far-away continent.

Although Catholicism has been present in Asia for more than 800 years -- from Portuguese missionaries in Japan to underground churches in China -- between local religions, communism and atheism, it has always been a marginalised faith.

The papal visit "shows that while Catholicism is a minority faith in Singapore, it's still a big part of civil society", said 46-year-old homemaker, Veronique Dawson.

"It's been wonderful how people from different faiths and cultures have played a part in this visit!"

While Singapore's streets are not thronged with vendors selling Vatican flags and rosaries, there is a sense of occasion among the faithful.

Dawson is recovering from a back injury so she will have to watch mass and other events from home.

"I have to say I'm having a serious case of FOMO!" she said -- expressing a fear of missing out.