SINGAPORE, Sept 11, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Pope Francis touched down in Singapore
Wednesday, the last stop of a four-nation Asia-Pacific trip aimed at boosting
the Catholic Church's standing in the world's most populous region.

Crowds waved Vatican and Singapore flags as Francis's plane arrived at the
city-state's Changi Airport, on the last leg of a 12-day tour to the region.

The 87-year-old pontiff has defied doubts about his health during a journey
that has taken him from a Jakarta grand mosque to a remote jungle of Papua
New Guinea.

In recent years, the ailing pope has undergone hernia surgery and has been
plagued by respiratory issues. He now relies on a wheelchair, walking sticks
or aides to get around.

But throughout the trip, he has carried out dozens of public engagements,
energised congregations through impromptu call-and-response and repeatedly
sat for hours in the brutal tropical heat.

In East Timor, he held a mass for 600,000 faithful -- almost half the
nation's population -- before flying on Wednesday to finance hub Singapore.

"It's a very long, arduous journey given his age and medical conditions,"
said 44-year-old Singapore healthcare worker Marcus Voon, who plans to attend
a stadium mass on Thursday.
- 'Message of love' -

About 30 percent of Singaporeans are Buddhist, 20 percent have no religion
and the rest are a mix of Catholic, Protestant, Taoist and Hindu.

Erik Hon, a 45-year-old Buddhist fintech worker, said he was "delighted" by
the pope's visit, hoping it would "spread the message of love, peace and
unity to all stripes of humanity".

"He sought to reach out to the marginalised and to deepen dialogue between
different faiths and those without any faith."

Like many businesses, Francis is likely to use Singapore as a platform to
reach the rest of the region and the world.

"The pope will most likely continue to underline a number of global issues
that are not specific to a single country," said Michel Chambon, an expert on
Christianity in Asia at the National University of Singapore.

"The importance of interreligious harmony and international peace, the need
for a more resilient and equitable development as well as the necessity for
stronger efforts to fight climate change," he said, suggesting familiar
themes for this leg of the pope's trip.

For Asia's 100-million-plus Catholics, the tour has made them feel connected
to a Church steeped in the customs and conventions of a far-away continent.

Although Catholicism has been present in Asia for more than 800 years -- from
Portuguese missionaries in Japan to underground churches in China -- between
local religions, communism and atheism, it has always been a marginalised
faith.

The papal visit "shows that while Catholicism is a minority faith in
Singapore, it's still a big part of civil society", said 46-year-old
homemaker, Veronique Dawson.

"It's been wonderful how people from different faiths and cultures have
played a part in this visit!"

While Singapore's streets are not thronged with vendors selling Vatican flags
and rosaries, there is a sense of occasion among the faithful.

Dawson is recovering from a back injury so she will have to watch mass and
other events from home.

"I have to say I'm having a serious case of FOMO!" she said -- expressing a
fear of missing out.