As the pontiff’s 12-day Asia-Pacific journey comes to an end, 50,000 people are expected to crowd the National Stadium on Thursday night for Mass.
The 87-year-old has visited Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste; his trip to the Pacific Island was his furthest point in terms of meeting followers.
On Wednesday afternoon, he landed in Singapore, where about 400,000 people, or less than 10% of the total population, identify as Catholics. Meetings with students, religious leaders, and government representatives are all part of the three-day tour.
Given his deteriorating health, volunteers claim that a year ago, this was the longest foreign tour of his pontificate. He had to postpone a trip to the United Arab Emirates due to a period of illness that made traveling abroad challenging.
5,000 volunteers have been enlisted to perform tasks ranging from guarding the Pope to singing in the choir during Mass. “Since we were told that he was coming [to Singapore], we’ve been praying,” says Karen Cheah.
“Once he got on the plane and visited the other countries, the reality hit that it’s coming up: we are next.”
It’s no mean task, even for the stadium to host the Pope for one evening.
