Interreligious Youth with Pope Francis

Your Holiness Pope Francis,
 

1. To everyone here, good morning.

2. Singapore warmly welcomes Pope Francis, almost four decades after Saint John Paul II visited Singapore.  

3. I fondly recall our meeting in the Holy See in January 2022 where we spoke about the Catholic Church’s 200 years in Singapore and issues of mutual interest, such as the importance of peace and harmony in multi-religious societies.
   
   Religious harmony sets a foundation for a cohesive Singapore

4. Religious harmony is of existential importance to Singapore and our people.

   1. We are one of the world’s most religiously diverse countries

   2. And religion is an important part of life for many Singaporeans.

5. We have put in place laws, policies and structures that foster racial and religious harmony and help us gather strength in diversity.

   1. The Government works closely with our religious and community leaders to build trust and promote harmony in peacetime and even more so during crises like the recent pandemic and terror attacks.

   2. Our eminent religious leaders, including our Catholic Archbishop Cardinal William, are members of our National Steering Committee on Racial and Religious Harmony, which I chair.

   3. We meet regularly to discuss community issues and promote racial harmony.
      
      The Catholic community is a key partner in fostering religious harmony

6. The Singapore Catholic community has contributed greatly to nation-building over the past 200 years and this is done in various fields such as education, healthcare and religious harmony.

   1. For example, today’s venue – Catholic Junior College – was established by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese almost 50 years ago, to provide post-secondary education to Singaporeans of all races and all religions.

7. Today, Catholics in Singapore enjoy good relations with other communities.

   1. Many Parishes play an active role in their local Racial and Religious Harmony Circles.

   2. Earlier this year, the Archdiocese inaugurated the Archdiocesan Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism Centre of Singapore, to promote dialogue with other Christian denominations and other faiths.

   3. The Archdiocese also hosted our annual Harmony Games earlier this year, which gathered youth from different religions, through sports and games, interacting on a social and fun level with everyone.

8. The Catholic Church’s promotion of dialogue, unity, fraternity, and social friendship, in both Nostra Aetate and Your Holiness’ third Encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, resonates deeply with Singapore. These common endeavours help to build a better, more just, and peaceful world.

9. Strengthening social cohesion, however, is a global challenge.

   1. Unity and peace cannot happen without dialogue, trust and cooperation for the common good.

   2. Our religious communities speak for values such as honesty, compassion, and fairness. These are powerful forces in building cohesion in a polarized world.

10. We therefore appreciate and support the efforts of the Holy See and the Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore to promote interreligious dialogue, which is critical for societies which have to navigate a divided and often turbulent world.

    1. In 2022, the Vatican Museums loaned a selection of Chinese Christian artefacts to our Asian Civilizations Museum, to promote the understanding of Catholicism in Southeast Asia.

    2. In the same year, Singapore hosted the second International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS). Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, delivered a special address, highlighting six points for cohesion and solidarity.

    3. We look forward to developing and deepening this partnership with the Holy See and welcoming your representatives to the next ICCS.

11. The visit of Your Holiness to Singapore galvanizes our communities, especially our youth, to unite and renew our hope for the future. Today’s dialogue is important as it takes us one more step towards fostering dialogue among our youth and across generations to build a better world.

12. We thank Your Holiness for being in Singapore, your blessings for Singapore, a strong advocate for dialogue, unity and charity. On behalf of our racial and religious communities in Singapore, we wish you good blessings, health and strong wisdom. And may God’s blessings be with you in your leadership.