Pope Francis on Thursday (Sept 12) praised Singapore’s economic strength as a testament to human ingenuity but urged the city-state to look after the weakest, too, especially foreign workers, as he opened the final leg of his tour through some of Asia’s poorest countries in one of the world’s richest.
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00:00Pope Francis, on Thursday, praised Singapore's economic success as a testament to human ingenuity,
00:09but urged the city-state to care for its most vulnerable, particularly foreign workers.
00:15His remarks came as he began the final leg of his tour through some of Asia's poorest
00:19nations, culminating in one of the world's wealthiest.
00:23In what was likely the last major speech of his ambitious 12-day journey across Southeast
00:29Asia and Oceania, the 87-year-old pontiff expressed concern for Singapore's rapidly
00:35aging population and its large migrant workforce, many of whom are employed in construction
00:41and domestic services.
00:43As the first Latin American pope, Francis reiterated his frequent call for fair wages
00:48and humane working conditions, emphasizing the crucial role migrant workers have played
00:53in transforming Singapore into a global economic powerhouse.
00:57On this front, I recognize and praise the various policies and initiatives put in place
01:04to support the weakest, and I hope that particular attention will be paid to the poor, to the
01:12elderly, whose struggles have laid the foundations for the Singapore we know today, and also
01:20to protect the dignity of migrant workers, who contribute greatly to the construction
01:28of the society, and to which it is necessary to guarantee an equal wage.
01:35Upon arriving from East Timor, the pope began his official visit by meeting with President
01:39Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
01:44He later addressed government officials and the diplomatic corps at the National University
01:48of Singapore, where he admired the city's skyline, describing the modern skyscrapers
01:53as seeming to rise from the sea.
01:57While praising Singapore's achievements in public housing, education, and health care,
02:02Francis cautioned against a relentless pursuit of excellence, a nod to the country's highly
02:07competitive work and education systems.
02:10Singapore's workforce includes about 1.1 million foreign workers, mostly from neighboring countries
02:16like Malaysia, China, Bangladesh, and India, out of a total workforce of 2.44 million.
02:23Notably, Singapore does not have a minimum wage policy for either locals or foreigners.