Pope Francis calls on President Tharman, meets PM Wong
The visiting Pope Francis began his second day in Singapore with a ceremonial welcome held at Parliament House.
A spell of rain at night had given way to clear skies and sunshine, and some people lined North Bridge Road to catch a glimpse of him.
The pope waved at them through the windows of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 – a made-in-Singapore electric car – that he was being driven in as he arrived at his destination.
The ceremony was an indoor affair, held at the entrance hall of the home of Singapore’s Parliament.
A ramp was added for the 87-year-old Argentinian pope, who first started using a wheelchair in public in 2022 due to knee problems.
Ceremonial guards standing at attention saluted him as he sat alongside President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the landing of the sweeping granite staircases that lead to the chamber.
Between them, placed on a low table, was a large pot of white orchids named in the pontiff’s honour.
Described by the National Parks Board as a new hybrid exuding “a serene and pure beauty”, the Dendrobium His Holiness Pope Francis has flowers about 8cm wide, with sepals and petals that are ivory white, and a lip with the barest tinge of pink.
Signing the visitor’s book, the pontiff wrote: “Like the star that guided the Magi, so let the light of wisdom always guide Singapore in building a united society capable of conveying hope.”
He was referring to the Bible story about the Christmas Star of Bethlehem that guided the three wise men, or Magi, to the birth of Jesus Christ.
Cabinet ministers, MPs, government officials and members of the diplomatic corps were also present at the welcome ceremony.
The pope, who is the head of state of Vatican City, later called on President Tharman, and also met Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
The head of the world’s Catholics had arrived in Singapore a day before to a welcome party that included about 1,000 Catholics who had a hand in organising his visit.
Lining the Jurassic Mile along Airport Boulevard, they chanted “Viva, viva, Papa Francesco”, or “Long live, Pope Francis” in Italian, as he cruised down in a buggy.
He was then whisked off for his private programme, which included a meeting with members of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, a Roman Catholic religious order, at the St Francis Xavier Retreat Centre in Punggol.
The last time a pope visited Singapore was in 1986, when the late Pope John Paul II made a brief stopover for five hours during a tour of the region that included stops in Bangladesh, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia and the Seychelles.
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