SINGAPORE (UCAN): William Cardinal Goh, the archbishop of Singapore, said that Pope Francis’ recent September 11 to 13 visit [Sunday Examiner, September 22] and his messages on harmony and inclusivity have revived the Catholic community in the city state.
“The pope’s key messages are always about building harmony in the world, being inclusive, and making the Church a sacrament of Jesus’ mercy and compassion to others,” Archbishop Goh told Vatican News.
The archbishop said that the pope’s visit was inspiring, not just for people in Singapore but also for people outside the country.
Singapore was the last leg of Pope Francis’ 11-day, pastoral tour, which also took him to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste.
“I think his key messages have been consistent, which is the need to reach out to the whole of humanity,” the archbishop said.
The pope is taking “concrete pastoral action” to “bring the Good News to all humanity.” This follows up on the work of his predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, who preached “new evangelization,” Archbishop Goh said.
The pope’s key messages are always about building harmony in the world, being inclusive, and making the Church a sacrament of Jesus’ mercy and compassion to others
Cardinal Goh
He noted that Pope Francis’ calls to reach out to the marginalised, the poor, the suffering, and the vulnerable and to respect other religions resonate with people all over the world, including Singaporeans.
“Although we are just a small country, a tiny nation, and the pope has even made himself present, not just to big nations or nations that are going through difficulties or when Catholics are minority in such big countries, but he even cares for Singapore” the archbishop said, adding that Singapore’s Catholics were “very excited to see the Chief Shepherd in their midst.”
The archdiocese has some 395,000 Catholics out of a population of some six million people.
According to a Pew survey, at least 26 per cent of Singaporeans are Buddhist, 18 per cent are Muslim, and 17 per cent are Christian. The research centre said that eight percent are Hindu and at least 22 per cent do not follow any religion.
“We are very appreciative that he has made himself truly the shepherd for all, regardless of the size of the nations, regardless of the people,” Archbishop Goh said, adding that the pope’s visit was a “very rare occasion” that brought “many Catholics to work together” side by side.
The archbishop said the pope’s visit to Asia has helped non-Catholics, particularly in Asia, understand “the beauty of the Catholic faith.”
He said, “I think his visit certainly will have revived the faith of our people. His visit has brought many of our Catholics to work together.”
He said that the West should try to learn more from Asia and Africa, where different cultures, values, faiths, and forms of government coexist.
Asians tend to be “religious people” to whom “God is real because we encounter Him” in every day life, he said.
The archbishop said Asia could contribute “to the universal Church by stressing the importance of popular religions,” which would not “over-emphasise theology.” He added, “That is why in Asia, we have different cultural expressions of our faith” such as statues, dance, different ways of devotion, and popular piety.
