Pope Francis praises Singapore’s spirit of progress, reminds leaders not to exclude the weak

Pope Francis addresses leaders at the National University of Singapore on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Sep 12, 2024 / 12:05 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Thursday praised Singapore for its “shining example” in building a united country based on harmony and cooperation but highlighted risks rapid progress could have on the family, human relationships, and the weakest members of society.      

A day after landing in the wealthy Southeast Asian city-state, also known as “Lion City,” the Holy Father met with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in separate meetings at Parliament House on Sept. 12.

The pope expressed his admiration for the dedication of the country’s past and present leaders to build unity amid a diversity of ethnicities, religions, and cultures.

“Like the star that guided the Magi, so let the light of wisdom always guide Singapore in building a united society capable of conveying hope,” the pope wrote in Singapore’s honor book in Parliament House.

Home to approximately 5.9 million people, Singapore was ranked by Global Finance as the world’s fourth-richest nation in 2024 with a GDP of $ 133,737. Since becoming a republic in 1965, led by the country’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, for 25 years, the country experienced rapid growth and transformation. 

In a speech addressed to civil leaders and the diplomatic corp at the National University of Singapore (NUS), the pope said the county is a clear testimony of human ingenuity and entrepreneurial dynamism. 

The Holy Father expressed hope that the nation with the motto “Majulah Singapura” (“Onward Singapore”) will not forget the poor, elderly, and migrant workers.

“I would like to highlight the risk entailed in focusing solely on pragmatism or placing merit above all things, namely the unintended consequence of justifying the exclusion of those on the margins from benefiting from progress,” the pope said to the country’s leaders.

“I recognize and commend the various policies and initiatives put in place to support the most vulnerable, and I hope that special attention will be paid to the poor and the elderly — whose labors have laid the foundations for the Singapore we see today — as well as to protecting the dignity of migrant workers,” the pope said. 

“These workers contribute a great deal to society and should be guaranteed a fair wage.”

In light of Singapore’s rapidly-aging population and low fertility rates, the pope emphasized his concern for family life and the need for genuine human relationships in a technologically advanced world.

“The sophisticated technologies of the digital age and rapid developments in the use of artificial intelligence must not lead us to forget about the essential need to cultivate real and concrete human relationships,” he said to those gathered in the university theater. 

“We see that the foundations on which families are built are being challenged by current social conditions and run the risk of being weakened,” he continued.

“Families must be allowed to transmit the values that give meaning and shape to life and to teach young people how to form solid and healthy relationships.” 

Last year, NUS published “Singapore Aging: Issues and Challenges Ahead,” a book written by the university’s academics and launched by Singapore’s former prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, highlighting the country’s need to adapt to the needs of a senior population. In 2020, 1 in 6 Singaporeans were age 65 or older.

On Friday, the final day of his longest, four-country apostolic journey to Asia and Oceania, Pope Francis will visit the elderly at the Catholic nursing home St. Theresa’s Home and attend a youth-led interreligious meeting at Catholic Junior College as well as celebrate Mass privately and have a private meeting with clergy and religious.

Catholic News Agency