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    • Pope travels from one of the world's poorest countries to one of the richest: Singapore

    Pope Francis is welcomed by dancing children at Singapore Changi International Airport on Sept. 11, 2024. (Gregorio Borgia / AP Photo) Pope Francis is welcomed by dancing children at Singapore Changi International Airport on Sept. 11, 2024. (Gregorio Borgia / AP Photo)
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    SINGAPORE -

    Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world鈥檚 richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor.

    After a brief farewell ceremony, Francis, the Vatican delegation and journalists traveling with him flew to Singapore aboard local carrier Aero Dili's only aircraft, an Airbus A320. It landed about three hours later in Singapore, where Francis had no public events scheduled for the rest of the day.

    Francis wrapped up his visit to East Timor with a rally Wednesday morning of its young people, who make up the majority of the 1.3 million population. He urged them to work together to build their young country, using the foundations of older generations who formally secured their independence from Indonesia in 2002, to grow in peace, prosperity and reconciliation.

    鈥淕o forward with the happiness of youth, but don鈥檛 forget one thing,鈥 Francis told them. 鈥淵ou are the heirs of those who persevered in founding this nation. For this, don鈥檛 lose your memory, the memory of those who persevered with so much sacrifice to consolidate this nation.鈥

    The 87-year-old Pope, who is on the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate, ditched his prepared remarks to speak off the cuff in his native Spanish, as he often does when he's around young people.

    The joyous encounter came just hours after around 600,000 people 鈥 or nearly half the population 鈥 packed a seaside park for Francis鈥檚 Mass. It was held on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed 35 years ago, when East Timor was under brutally oppressive Indonesian rule.

    Francis came to East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, to encourage it more than two decades after it secured independence as it struggles with poverty and high unemployment.

    In his final remarks at the end of the liturgy, Francis warned the Timorese today to beware of the 鈥渃rocodiles鈥 who come ashore and 鈥渨ant to change your culture, your history.鈥

    It was an apparent reference both to East Timor鈥檚 past, as a colonial possession of first Portugal and then Indonesia, but also its current attractiveness to international commercial interests eager to develop its natural gas reserves.

    The oil and gas industry is the bedrock of the Timorese economy and the main source of government revenue. Development of the promising offshore Greater Sunrise gas field, shared between Australia and East Timor, has been stalled for more than two decades 鈥 mainly over the question of which country the fuel should be piped to.

    Timorese officials believe that piping gas into their country would deliver more benefits for their people despite the added logistical challenges. In an interview last week, President Jose Ramos-Horta said any alternative would have to be 鈥渁 very persuasive proposal.鈥

    Francis, who is from Argentina and is history鈥檚 first Latin American Pope, has long railed against multinational companies that exploit poor countries for their natural resources for their own benefit without taking care to adequately compensate the local population or care for the environment.

    鈥淎nd don鈥檛 go near those crocodiles because they bite, and bite a lot, a lot,鈥 Francis said Tuesday night, using a term in Spanish that means both 鈥渢o bite鈥 and to accept bribes.

    The huge turnout in East Timor was a testament to the devout Catholic faith of its people and their reverence of the church, which strongly backed the Timorese's fight for independence. Francis praised the Timorese for having not only built up their country from scratch, but reconciled with Indonesia after securing independence in 2002.

    One of the Timorese who campaigned for that independence, Fransisco Dionisio Fernandes, was a 15-year-old acolyte at the Dili Mass celebrated by St. John Paul II on the same field as Francis.

    He went on to become one of the most vocal pro-independence activists in East Timor, known locally by his nom de guerre Maukura. But he chose the path of nonviolent resistance rather than joining the guerrillas, preaching a message of reconciliation with Indonesia that Francis underscored during his visit.

    鈥淲hat鈥檚 past is past, every nation certainly has its dark history, and we cannot erase history,鈥 Fernandes said in an interview. 鈥淓ast Timor has made a great effort to reconcile the wounds of the past and found a way to pursue a process of genuine reconciliation.鈥

    Fernandes, who became a career diplomat, said the focus was now on the future.

    鈥淣ow is the time for Timorese to fight for the development and people鈥檚 welfare. With the principle of mutual respect for each other鈥檚 sovereignty, we rebuild together with Indonesia which is destined to be brothers.鈥

    East Timor remains one of the poorest in the world, with around 42 per cent living below the poverty line. It struggles with high levels of unemployment and malnutrition. Nearly two-thirds of the country鈥檚 citizens are under 30 years old, making youth job creation a high priority.

    From Dili, Francis was flying to Singapore, one of Asia鈥檚 economic powerhouses. The city-state鈥檚 transformation from a colonial port lacking natural resources into an economic power since its independence from Malaysia in 1965 has long been touted as a success story.

    It enjoys one of the highest living standards in the world, and is known for its safety and low crime rate. But it is also one of the most expensive cities to live in and its competitive work environment makes for a stressful, overworked people.

    Francis has no official program in Singapore on Wednesday other than a private meeting with his Jesuit confreres.

    ___

    Niniek Karmini reported from Dili, East Timor. Eileen Ng contributed to this report from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

    ___

    Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP鈥檚 collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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