Cardinal Goh: Pope's visit to Singapore will foster our communion in faith

By Cardinal William Goh

The story of the Church in Singapore is intricately linked to the country’s development. Up until the 1800s, Singapore was an island inhabited by fishermen. Its strategic location at the tip of the Malayan peninsula made it the interest of many regional kingdoms, including Java, Siam, India, and Malacca.

Following British colonisation in 1819, the first Catholic priest reached Singapore in 1821. Father Laurent Imbert—a French missionary who would become a saint after his martyrdom in Korea—discovered Catholics already living on the island. Thereafter, French and Portuguese missionaries arrived and ministered in Singapore, planting the seeds for both faith and Church to grow.

As a busy port along sea trade routes, Singapore developed quickly and prospered, attracting immigrants from the region and beyond. As the population grew, so did the Church. Various religious orders arrived in Singapore to provide education and healthcare, and to preach the Good News of Christ. Churches were built to meet the growing pastoral needs of the people and support the work of evangelisation.

In 2021, the Church celebrated 200 years of the Catholic faith in Singapore. The year-long event, promoted under the theme, “Ignite and Shine with Faith”, sought to strengthen and revitalize the faith of the Catholic community which was subdued under the cover of Covid. Local pastoral realities continue to be shaped by the ongoing story of Singapore’s development.

In 1972, seven years after Singapore became a sovereign nation, the Archdiocese of Singapore was formed. In Singapore’s early years, the Church’s work in education and healthcare were important contributors to national development. Many of the country’s top leaders in both the public and private spheres were formed in Catholic schools; and many basic healthcare needs were provided by Church-run healthcare institutions.

Today, the Church in Singapore supports 395,000 Catholics with its 29 parish churches, three devotional churches, 53 schools, 47 humanitarian organisations, and two healthcare institutions. In addition to announcing the good news of Jesus Christ, the Church continues to contribute to the social cohesiveness of Singapore through active participation in interreligious dialogue, as well as in shaping the moral fibre of our society by championing family values and the dignity of life.

The people of Singapore are descended from migrants throughout the region — ethnic Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Eurasian. As a modern business and financial hub, expatriates from all over the world also call the city home. Consequently, the Church in Singapore is both multi-racial and multi-lingual. Masses are predominantly celebrated in English, but also in other local languages and in sign language for the hearing impaired.

The Church in Singapore has an active partnership with its civil leadership. The Church values the Government as a key partner in its mission towards the common good; while the Government regards the Church as an important contributor and shaper of the country’s social fabric.

Dialogue and consultation between the Church and State take place regularly. I am a member of two Presidential Councils, providing counsel to the Government of Singapore on matters relating to Racial/Religious Harmony and Minority Rights.

In carrying out its pastoral mission, the Church also regularly engages government agencies such as the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (mccy), and the Ministry for Social and Family Development (msf), Ministry of Home Affairs at both the leadership and operational levels. In this way, Church and State exist in partnership for the common good, each with its unique part to play.

Another unique attribute about the Church in Singapore is its deep relationship with other religions in the country. Here, inter-religious dialogue has gone beyond mere tolerance or respect of each other’s faith. Rather, we regard each other first as friends, and take active and intentional steps to foster friendships, just as Jesus did. We make ourselves present at each other’s religious celebrations. We meet for discussions on common issues to forge greater unity among ourselves and to work for the common good of society regardless of race and religion, especially in joint humanitarian projects. We also support each other in times of trials, rallying round each other in solidarity, consolation, and encouragement.

Heeding Pope Francis’ Exhortation towards synodality, the Church in Singapore embarked on its synodal journey in 2021.

For the first time in the Archdiocese’s history, the hopes, dreams, cares and concerns of Catholics across different age groups, backgrounds and life situations were gathered from across parishes, ministries and other church groups in diocese-wide synodal conversations. The input and momentum gathered from these conversations culminated in the Archdiocesan Assembly the following year. There, clergy, religious and lay representatives of the 32 churches and over 200 Catholic organisations gathered over two days to pray and journey together, and to take the first steps towards a more unified way of identifying and addressing pastoral issues. Following this, the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council (apc) was inaugurated in February 2023 to continue the work of employing the synodal process to discern its pastoral priorities.

The Church in Singapore is committed to its mission of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ well into the future. Its most immediate task is to deepen the faith and discipleship of its people to form a more vibrant, evangelising, and missionary Church.

There is also a need to discover new and innovative ways of proclaiming the Gospel and ministering to people, given the proliferation of digital technologies such as social media and artificial intelligence. This requires an unprecedented level of collaboration, unity, and communion at all levels across the diocese—between clergy and laity, parishes and diocesan organisations, and between ministries across parishes.

Here, the visit of Pope Francis to Singapore is timely. The theme discerned for this Papal Visit is Unity and Hope. As an Archdiocese, we are united first and foremost by our common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Holy Father’s visit is a reminder that our Lord is close to us and indeed very much incarnated in our midst. Gathered around our Lord and united in His mission, we dare to hope for a new order—one that mirrors the Heavenly Jerusalem more closely, one that points more faithfully to the Kingdom of God that is to come!