Pacific Tour-Today/CNA-Sept 12
Pope Francis touched down in Singapore on Wednesday afternoon (Sept 11) for the last stop of his four-nation visit to the Asia-Pacific region. Pope Francis was greeted by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong and Ms Janet Ang, Singapore’s non-resident ambassador to the Vatican. Pope Francis then headed to the Jurassic Mile along Airport Boulevard, where he met about 1,000 volunteers who played a part in organizing his visit. They were mostly dressed in yellow and white, the colors of the Vatican flag. Pope Francis will have a private meeting with members of the Society of Jesus at the St Francis Xavier Retreat Centre in Punggol in the evening. The last time Singapore hosted a papal visit was in 1986, when then-Pope John Paul II made a five-hour stop on a regional tour that included Bangladesh, New Zealand and Australia. In Singapore, Pope Francis will have official meetings as well as engagements with the community. He will attend a welcome ceremony at Parliament House on Thursday morning, and have an orchid hybrid named after him. Pope Francis will then meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong. The pontiff will also deliver a state address to members of the government and civil society at the National University of Singapore’s University Cultural Centre. On Thursday evening, he will deliver the homily in a mass held at the National Stadium, which is expected to be attended by 50,000 people. Read more at: https://www.todayonline.com/news/pope-francis-arrives-singapore-final-leg-asia-pacific-tour-2481271
