Pope Francis ‘didn’t expect’ S’pore to be like this, says he found residents very friendly

Pope Francis ‘didn’t expect’ S’pore to be like this, says he found residents very friendly

After Pope Francis left Singapore at the end of a whirlwind three-day visit, he was asked what he thought of our nation.

He answered that there were a number of things that he “didn’t expect” about Singapore.

Pope Francis answers questions from media on the plane

The Pope was questioned by the media on Thursday (12 Sept) while he was on board a plane heading back to Rome from Singapore, the last leg of his trip to the Asia-Pacific.

According to the Vatican News, a reporter from The Straits Times asked him what he’d observed of Singapore, specifically its culture and people.

She also enquired whether he was surprised by anything while here.

S’pore said to be ‘New York of the East’: Pope Francis

Firstly, Pope Francis said:

I didn’t expect to find Singapore as it is.

He added that he was told that Singapore was the “New York of the East” — a developed, clean country with polite people, tall skyscrapers, and a great religious culture.

He also said the interreligious meeting he attended “was a model of fraternity”, referring to the one he had with youth from different religions at Catholic Junior College (CJC).

S’pore is ‘a great capital’

When asked about his remarks about Singapore having “a special role on the international stage”, the Pope pointed to the Formula One race happening here next week.

He said that’s our international role: A capital that attracts different cultures.

Singapore is “a great capital”, he further said, adding:

I didn’t expect to find something like that.

‘Not so many’ children seen in S’pore

Queried about what he learnt about Singapore, Pope Francis compared the Republic with Timor-Leste, which he visited before arriving in Singapore.

Specifically, he talked about children, saying:

In Timor-Leste, I saw many children, but in Singapore, not so many.

That’s perhaps something to learn, he added, urging us to consider that “the future lies with children”.

He also felt compelled to add one more observation — that the residents of Singapore are “very friendly” as we’re “always smiling”.

He saw luxurious skyscrapers

The Pope was also asked about his thoughts about Singapore’s low-paid migrant workers, which he also mentioned in his message, calling for fair wages for them.

He replied that he saw “luxurious skyscrapers” in Singapore and others that were “clean and well-maintained” despite being not as grand.

He appreciated this, he said, and didn’t feel that there was discrimination.

Returning to our culture, though, he added that he was “struck” by it.

This was particularly true with our students, including those he met at CJC.

Pope criticises death penalty, says it needs to be eliminated

Later on, a reporter from Germany asked the Pope why he didn’t address the issue of Singapore still having the death penalty.

He replied that it “didn’t come to mind” before criticising the death penalty, saying:

The death penalty doesn’t work. We need to eliminate it, slowly.

While many countries have the law but don’t enforce it — like the United States, he claimed — the death penalty must nevertheless be “stopped”, he said, adding,

It’s not right; it’s not right.

Also read: Pope Francis touches down in S’pore, marking first papal visit in nearly 4 decades

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Featured image adapted from Vatican News on Facebook.