Pope Francis to deliver state address in Singapore

SINGAPORE: Pope Francis will deliver a state address in Singapore on Sep 12, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Tuesday (Sep 10).

The head of the Vatican will visit Singapore for the first time, from Sep 11 to 13.

His visit is part of a wider trip to the region that includes stops in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste. This 12-day trip is the longest overseas trip of Pope Francis' papacy.

There are around 395,000 Catholics in Singapore according to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore. The last papal visit here was in 1986 by Pope John Paul II, five years after Singapore officially established diplomatic relations with the Holy See, or the central governing body of the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis, who is 87, will receive a ceremonial welcome at Parliament House on Sep 12, and call on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, said MFA.

He will also meet Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

A new orchid hybrid will be named in Pope Francis' honour and unveiled at the ceremonial welcome, said MFA.

After the ceremonial welcome, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Pope Francis will deliver speeches at the state address at the National University of Singapore's University Cultural Centre.

Later that evening, Pope Francis will attend mass and deliver the homily to 50,000 people at the National Stadium.

On Sep 13, he will visit the elderly and sick at Saint Theresa's Home. After that, he will attend an inter-religious meeting at Catholic Junior College, before leaving Singapore for Rome.

Pope Francis will be accompanied by Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Substitute of the Secretariat of State Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Gallagher, and other senior Vatican officials., said MFA in the press release.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to attribute the figure for the Catholic population in the country to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore.

@Corinthian