Francis said this as he opened the final leg of his tour through some of Asia’s poorest countries in one of the world’s richest.
Singapore celebrated his arrival by unveiling a new hybrid orchid named for him, the Dendrobium His Holiness Pope Francis, which was presented during an official welcome ceremony on Thursday.
The orchid “exudes a serene and pure beauty” of ivory white petals with a pink tinge at the centre, according to the National Parks Board.
Francis arrived in Singapore from East Timor and began his official program by meeting President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
He later addressed government authorities and the diplomatic corps at the National University of Singapore.
There, Francis marvelled at Singapore’s modern skyscrapers “that seem to rise from the sea” and the government’s commitment to sustainable development and providing citizens with quality public housing, education and healthcare.
But he urged authorities to look out for the poorest and beware of rewarding excellence at all costs, a reference to Singapore’s highly competitive work and educational culture.
“I would like to highlight the risk entailed in focusing solely on pragmatism or placing merit above all things,” he said.
“Namely, [there is the] unintended consequence of justifying the exclusion of those on the margins from benefiting from progress,” he said.
In a common appeal from history’s first Latin American pope, Francis called for dignified pay and conditions for migrant workers, who have helped make Singapore one of the world’s most advanced financial powerhouses.
Singapore has no minimum wage policy for locals or foreigners.
Singapore is the last stop of Francis’s 11-day tour that is the longest and furthest of his papacy after earlier stops in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.
Dozens of people came out to greet him as he arrived at Parliament House for the official welcome ceremony, cheering as his motorcade passed by.
“We just wanted to make sure that we caught his attention, and that we really communicated our love and warm welcome to him here in Singapore,” said Lissy Puno, who made posters and bracelets to commemorate the visit.
ANSA
