Rome Newsroom, Sep 13, 2024 / 12:00 pm
After blessing the elderly on his last day in Singapore, Pope Francis told an assembly of youth that religions are “like languages that try to express ways to approach God” at an interreligious meeting that concluded his 12-day, four-country apostolic journey to Southeast Asia and Oceania.
‘Your prayers are very important before God’
As the Holy Father made his way toward the chapel of St. Theresa’s Home where approximately 200 elderly residents and staff gathered to receive his papal blessing, several residents in wheelchairs seized the opportunity to see the pope up close and shake his hand as he passed by them in the corridors of the country’s oldest Catholic-run nursing home.
Before imparting his blessing in English, the pope thanked the residents for their patience and their prayers and asked that they pray for him.
“Your prayers are very important before God. God is very happy to hear your prayers,” he said to those present in the chapel. “With this blessing the Lord shows himself close to you. He pardons everything.”
Pope to youth: ‘All religions are paths to reach God’
After visiting the sick and elderly in St. Theresa’s Home, the Holy Father was impressed by the capacity of Singapore’s youth to engage in interreligious dialogue following an exchange with students hosted by Catholic Junior College.
“Religions are seen as paths trying to reach God. I will use an analogy: They are like different languages that express the divine,” the pope explained.
“But God is for everyone, and therefore, we are all God’s children,” he said. “There is only one God, and religions are like languages that try to express ways to approach God. Some Sikh, some Muslim, some Hindu, some Christian.”
The Holy Father encouraged the interfaith youth representatives — Raaj, a Hindu youth who is chief coordinator of the Inter-religious Organisation Youth Wing; Preet, a young Sikh woman working in the interfaith space since 2017; and Nicole, a Catholic educator who used to work for Singapore’s Archdiocesan Catholic Council for Interreligious Dialogue — to not be closed in on themselves but to take risks and “move forward with hope” even when faced with our own and others’ mistakes and shortcomings.
“Youth is courageous and youth likes to go toward the truth,” he said.
Challenging his audience, the Holy Father urged them to have the courage to be critical thinkers: “I ask all young people, each one: Are you critical?”
“Do you have the courage to criticize and also the courage to let others criticize you?” he asked.
“This is the sincere dialogue between young people.”
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During the youth-led meeting, the Holy Father also reiterated the need for “respect for others” in interreligious dialogue, even when confronted with our own or others’ mistakes and shortcomings.
“Each one of us has our own abilities and limitations,” he explained. “Do we all have abilities? Do we all have some limitations? Even the pope? Yes, all, all! As we have our limitations, we must respect the disabilities of others.”
“Why do I say this? Because overcoming these things helps in your interfaith dialogue since it is built upon respect for others. This is very important.”
According to Pew Research Center, Singapore is ranked as one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world. Approximately 26% of Singaporeans identify as Buddhist, 18% as Muslim, 17% as Christian and 8% as Hindu. An additional 22% of Singaporeans do not identify with a specific religion.
Pope urges unity among bishops, priests, religious, and laypeople
Before his Sept. 13 meetings with the elderly and youth, the Holy Father met with bishops, priests, and consecrated men and women after celebrating Mass at the St. Francis Xavier Retreat Centre.
Drawing upon the theme for his papal visit to Singapore, “Unity and Hope,” the pope reminded bishops and priests to live united with God and one another and to be “in the midst of the people” they serve.
At around midday, the Holy Father was transported to Singapore Changi Airport to embark upon his journey back to Rome to conclude his whirlwind Sept. 2–13 apostolic journey, which brought him to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore to meet with civil and religious leaders and communities in the Southeast Asia and Oceania regions.
