Pope Francis lands in Singapore; inter-faith dialogue, climate on agenda

By Joshua McElwee

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -    Pope Francis arrived in Singapore on Wednesday afternoon from East Timor, where he is expected to focus on inter-faith dialogue and reinforce the Catholic Church's presence in a region where it is a small minority.

The pope is on the final leg of an ambitious 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, the longest trip of his papacy. His two-night stay in the city-state, a global financial hub,  will include a speech to the country's political authorities, where the pope may also address issues such as wealth inequality and climate change.

Francis will also celebrate a Mass the Vatican expects to draw some 55,000 people, including Catholics who are travelling from Hong Kong for the event.

The Vatican is currently renegotiating a controversial deal with China over the appointment of Catholic bishops in the country, which is up for renewal in October.

Singapore, with a population of 5.92 million, is plurality Buddhist, with about 31% of people identifying with that faith. The Vatican counts about 210,000 Catholics in the country. There are also strong Muslim, Hindu and Taoist communities.

Inter-faith dialogue has been a central theme of Francis' 11-year papacy, and in Singapore he will host an inter-religious meeting with young people from various faith traditions. Wealth inequality and climate change are other frequent themes.

Singapore's government says rising sea levels due to global warming could have major implications for its low-lying coastline and it is planning to spend S$100 billion ($77 billion) over the course of the century on the issue.

While in the country, pope will also hold private meetings with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, and former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Francis is only the second pope to visit Singapore, following a brief 5-hour layover by the late John Paul II in 1986. The country counts about 210,000 Catholics among its 5.92 million people, according to the Vatican.

The pope arrived from Dili, East Timor's capital, where on Tuesday he celebrated Mass with an estimated 600,000 of the country's 1.3 million population, in one of the largest ever turnouts as a proportion of a country's population for a Mass during a papal visit.

On landing in Singapore, Francis was met by Edwin Tong, the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and received flowers from local school children. Outside the airport,  local media reported that about 1,000 Catholics prayed and waved the flags of Singapore and the Vatican.

The pope's schedule for the rest of Wednesday is light, with only a private meeting with the country's community of Jesuit priests planned. The meetings with political leaders and Mass will take place on Thursday, before he returns to Rome on Friday.

Francis' 12-day tour has also included stops in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

($1 = 1.3019 Singapore dollars)

(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by John Mair)