Pope Francis departed Singapore on Friday – wrapping up his tour through Southeast Asia and Oceania, where he visited four countries and preached a message of religious tolerance and inclusivity.
Pope Francis departed one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world on Friday to end the longest trip of his career through Southeast Asia and Oceania.
Wrapping up his visit to Singapore, the head of the Catholic Church praised the country’s tradition of interfaith and closed his four-nation trip with the same message of religious tolerance that he delivered at the start.
Addressing a group of young people from the various religious groups present in one of the world’s financial powerhouses, the pontiff talked about the need for people of different faiths to engage in constructive dialogue rather than insist on the righteousness of their particular beliefs.
“All religions are a path to arrive at God,” he said. “They are like different languages to arrive there. But God is God for all.”
Following the speech, Francis boarded his almost 13-hour flight back to Rome – wrapping up the longest and farthest trip of his tenure as Pope.
The purpose of his trip through Southeast Asia and Oceania was to emphasise outreach and religious inclusivity – at one stage visiting the Istiqlal mosque in Jakarta and signing a declaration on religious harmony with the grand imam there.
Francis was in Singapore to encourage its small but growing Catholic minority who make up only about 3.5% of the country’s population of just under 6 million.
While in Singapore, he praised the country’s economic development but said it was important to treat immigrant workers with dignity and a fair wage.
The Pope’s 11-day journey took him to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste before Singapore.
The 32,814 kilometres clocked by air is not only the longest of his pontificate, but also one of the longest ever papal voyages in terms of days on the road and distances travelled.
