Pope calls Singaporean youth to unity during interreligious dialogue

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

On Friday, Pope Francis took part in an interreligious dialogue with young people, urging them to commit themselves to unity and hope among the youth of various faiths in Singapore.

Some 600 participants from more than 50 schools and interfaith and religious organisations attended the event.

This marked Pope Francis' final event before his departure from Asia to Rome after his four-nation 45th Apostolic Journey abroad, which also brought him to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste.

The pledge of the young people

During the event, the young people committed themselves to the “Pledge of the Future Generation to work for Unity and Hope.”

After the Pope’s speech and before a moment of silent prayer, the young people recited, "We, the future generation, pledge to be a beacon of unity and hope by promoting cooperation and friendships that nurture the harmonious co-existence between people of diverse beliefs."

The Holy Father was greeted with testimonies of a young Hindu, Sikh, and Catholic, to whom he encouraged their personal faith journey, but appealed for them to walk together and toward the common good.

Pope Francis with young people at interreligious dialogue event in Singapore's Catholic Junior College

'Dictatorships take away dialogue'

In a spontaneous exchange with the young people, the Holy Father invited them to leave their comfort zones, and have the courage to move forward and offer constructive criticism.

"If you dialogue as young people," the Holy Father said, "then you will be able to do so as citizens and as members of a community."

Throughout history, the Holy Father pointed out, "the first thing a dictatorship does is take away dialogue."

Do not be afraid

In his remarks, the Pope told them to take risks and to engage the world. "Do not be afraid," he said, noting that fear is a dictatorial attitude that "can paralyze you."

He acknowledged that young people, like everyone else, will inevitably make mistakes.

"It is normal to make mistakes," but what matters more, he suggested, is recognizing it, and starting over.

Turning to technology, and other forms of social media, which came up during the testimonies, the Holy Father called these tools useful, but warned against becoming enslaved by them.

Pope Francis with young people at interreligious dialogue event in Singapore's Catholic Junior College

All children of God

The Holy Father went on to invite those gathered to join him in praying together for one another.

"May God bless all of us, and when time passes and you are not young people, but older, and become grandparents," he urged. "Pass this on."

God for all

"God is God for all, and if God is God for all," he said, "then we are all sons and daughters of God."

"All religions are paths to reach God," said Pope Francis. "They are—to make a comparison—like different languages, different dialects, to get there. But God is God for everyone."

The Holy Father thanked the young people for engaging in interreligious dialogue,  for respecting one another, and reassured them of his prayers.