Pope Francis rides around Singapore’s National Stadium before celebrating Mass September 12, 2024. Photo: CNS photo/Vatican Media In a line that may once again stir reaction in more traditional Catholic quarters, Pope Francis on Friday wrapped up a three-day visit to Singapore, a country with large pockets of at least five different faiths, that “all religions are a path to God”.
“They are like different languages in order to arrive at God, but God is God for all,” the Pope said, who had set aside his prepared text and spoke largely off the cuff. “Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God.”
The Pontiff made his remarks during a interreligious meeting with young people held at a Catholic junior college, just prior to departing Singapore for his return flight to Rome.
Such rhetoric has stirred controversy in the path among more conservative Catholics who fear that it calls into question Catholic doctrine on Christ as the lone saviour of the world and also undercuts missionary efforts to bring people to the faith.
Warned
When the Pope used similar language at an interfaith meeting during a 2022 trip to Kazakhstan, Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider of the national capital of Astana, a frequent papal critic, warned that it risked creating a “supermarket of religions”.
Judging by his remarks Friday, however, the Pontiff has not been deterred by such blowback.
“If you start to fight, ‘my religion is more important than yours, mine is true and yours isn’t’, where will that lead us?” he asked aloud. “There’s only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sheik, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and they are different paths [to God].”
Catholics in Singapore make up about 3.5% of the population of just under 6 million. Overall, Christians of all types represent about 19% of the population, Buddhists 31% and Muslims 15%, with significant Hindu and Sikh minorities as well.
The Pontiff exhorted young people to engage in interfaith dialogue.
“For interreligious dialogue among young people, it takes courage, because youth is the time of courage in our lives,” he said. “You can also have this courage and use it for things that don’t help you, or you can use it to move forward and engage in dialogue. One thing that helps a lot is to respect dialogue.”
If you dialogue as young people, you will dialogue more as adults, as citizens, as politicians”
“I want to tell you something historical: every dictatorship in history, the first thing they do is take away dialogue,” Pope Francis told the gathering of roughly 600 young people from 50 schools and religious organisations in Singapore.
The Pope invited the youth “to do everything possible to maintain a courageous attitude and promote an environment in which young people can enter into dialogue, because interreligious dialogue is something that creates a path”.
“If you dialogue as young people, you will dialogue more as adults, as citizens, as politicians,” he said.
“Interreligious dialogue is built on respect for others. This is very important,” he said.
On other fronts, Pope Francis touched on two other familiar themes in his sessions with youth: The proper use of technology, and the dangers of bullying, especially with regard to young people with disabilities.
Technology
“Technology is something that we have to use, but we have to be attentive to the risks that come with it,” noting that was actually the theme of his prepared speech.
On the one hand, the Pope said young people need to be adept in a multimedia world.
A young person who is scattered, lost. All young people must use media, but use media because they help us to go forward, but not become slaves of it”
“A young person who doesn’t follow the media, what are they like? Closed, closed in on themselves,” he said.
On the other, he also warned that youth should not become “enslaved” to technology.
“A person who lives totally enslaved to media, how are they?” he asked. “A young person who is scattered, lost. All young people must use media, but use media because they help us to go forward, but not become slaves of it.”
With regard to bullying, the pope called it “something terrible.”
The pontiff noted that bullying often is directed at youth perceived as weaker, such as someone who is disabled. He pointed to the fact that during the interreligious meeting, there had been a dance performed by four young people with Down syndrome.
“Everyone has some disability, even the Pope,” he said. “Just as we have our own disabilities, we have to respect the disabilities of others.”
Pope Francis included a characteristic appeal to youth to take chances.
Courage
“Young people must have the courage to build, to go forward, to leave their comfort zones,” he said. “A young person who chooses to be comfortable in their lives gets fat. But the stomach doesn’t get fat, the mind does!”
“This is why I say take risks, go out!” he told the youth. “Don’t be afraid. Fear is a dictatorial attitude, and it paralyses you.”
The traits he believes are important for pastors, saying they must be “in the midst of the people, united with God, brothers among you and united with the bishop”
Prior to his departure Friday morning, Pope Francis also held a private meeting with the bishops, priests and religious of Singapore, which was attended by the president of the Episcopal Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
In his brief address, the Pope spoke of the traits he believes are important for pastors, saying they must be “in the midst of the people, united with God, brothers among you and united with the bishop.”
He also reminded nuns to not forget “to express the motherhood of the Church,” and urged everyone to keep smiling.