SINGAPORE, Sept 11: 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.
In Singapore he is set to meet the city-state’s leaders, deliver a state address and hold a mass at its national stadium.
He will stay in Singapore until Friday when he heads back to Europe after wrapping up the longest and farthest tour of his 11-year papacy.
“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. -TVS
