Speaking at St Peter's Square on 18 September, the Pope said the Church is "more alive" in areas like Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.

The pontiff emphasised the Church's need to move beyond its European roots and embrace the global Catholic community.

Francis remarked "We are still too Eurocentric… but in reality, the Church is much bigger… and much more alive in these countries".

Fraternity is the future

Reflecting on the Asian tour, Pope Francis praised the "missionary, outgoing Church" he encountered, especially in Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country where Catholics make up only 3% of the population.

He observed a dynamic faith community there, actively transmitting the Gospel.

Pope Francis signed a joint declaration with the Grand Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque in Indonesia, condemning religious-based violence and promoting interfaith harmony.

"There, I saw that fraternity is the future, it is the answer to anti-civilisation, to the diabolical plots of hatred, war and also sectarianism" he said.

In Papua New Guinea, the Pope was welcomed by indigenous tribes who have embraced Catholicism.

He met with missionaries and catechists whom he called the "protagonists" of his visit and expressed hope for a future free from tribal violence and colonial dependencies.

Salt and light

The Pope's visit to East Timor, predominantly a Catholic nation, also left a strong impression.

He was touched by the country's large families and abundant religious vocations.

He called East Timor a model of a "culture of life", contrasting it with wealthier nations like Singapore which he said could learn from its example of high birth rates.

His final stop in Singapore, though starkly different from the other nations, reaffirmed his belief in the power of small, faith-driven communities.

"Even in wealthy Singapore, there are the ‘little ones' who follow the Gospel and become salt and light, witnesses to a hope greater than what economic gains can guarantee" he added.

The Pope's reflections emphasised the universality of the Catholic Church, urging believers to look beyond Europe to the flourishing faith communities in other parts of the world.

Sources

Catholic News Agency

La Croix International

CathNews New Zealand

The pope set aside his prepared text during his address and spoke candidly to the audience.

Using an analogy, Francis said "All religions are a path trying to reach God".

"They are like different languages in order to arrive at God, but God is God for all" he said.

"Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God."

No religious fights

In a moment of reflection, Pope Francis warned against religious division.

"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.

"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]."

When at war, first strategy is to take out communication

The pope's address was directed mainly at the youth, encouraging them to actively promote interfaith dialogue that maintains peace and understanding between religions.

"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.

"I want to tell you something historical: every dictatorship in history, the first thing they do is take away dialogue" he said, urging the young people to be brave in engaging with those of different faiths.

"Why do I say this? Because overcoming these things helps in your interfaith dialogue since it is built upon respect for others. This is very important.

"If you dialogue as young people, you will dialogue more as adults, as citizens, as politicians" he said.

Giving further encouragement, Francis said "Do not be afraid", noting that fear is a dictatorial attitude that "can paralyse you".

Singapore: A religious mosaic

According to Pew Research Center, Singapore is ranked as one of the most diverse countries in the world in terms of religion.

Approximately 26% of Singaporeans identify as Buddhist, 18% as Muslim, 17% as Christian and 8% as Hindu. An additional 22% of Singaporeans do not identify with a specific religion.

Controversial comments

While the pope's message was welcomed by many, it has also sparked controversy among conservative Catholics.

Some fear that his remarks undermine Catholic doctrine, particularly the belief in Christ as the sole saviour of the world, and could discourage missionary efforts.

Despite this, the pope remained steadfast in his call for respect and dialogue.

Sources

• Vatican News
• Crux
• CNA

The "Sentence for Enhanced Public Protection" (SEPP) aims to keep convicts who show signs that they might re-offend behind bars, even after their jail terms have ended.

The legislation will apply to offenders convicted of serious violent or sexual offences, such as culpable homicide, rape and sex with minors.

Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam told parliament that "with the SEPP, there can be a more calibrated approach to better protect society".

Singapore has tough laws for even minor offences, such as vandalism, which can be punished by caning. It has a homicide rate of just 0.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to UN data, among the world's lowest.

Read More

The spate of hangings included, in April, the widely criticised execution of a man with limited cognitive function. It came after Singapore resumed executions in March after a hiatus of more than two years.

The prisons department said in a statement that Singaporeans Abdul Rahim Shapiee, 45, and Ong Seow Ping, 49, were executed.

Shapiee, a former driver for a ride-hailing service, was convicted of trafficking 39.87 grams of pure heroin, Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said.

It said an appeals court dismissed his last gasp petition for a stay of the sentence.

Read More

The four-legged robot "dog" will patrol the area starting this weekend and broadcast a pre-recorded message to visitors to remind them of the importance of social distancing, authorities said.

The device will also be equipped with cameras that will scan the surroundings and help officials estimate the number of people gathering in parks, they said.

"These cameras will not be able to track and/or recognize specific individuals, and no personal data will be collected," the government said in a statement.

The new measure is an experiment to improve enforcement of social distancing throughout Singapore as it contends with an alarming recent spike in cases. Continue reading

On Friday, the government announced it would start deploying Spot, Boston Dynamics' famous yellow and black canine robot, at one local park.

The four-legged robot "dog" will patrol the area starting this weekend and broadcast a pre-recorded message to visitors to remind them of the importance of social distancing, authorities said.

The device will also be equipped with cameras that will scan the surroundings and help officials estimate the number of people gathering in parks, they said. Read more

But recent developments have demonstrated that you can't have the foresight for things you refuse to see.

A sharp increase in COVID-19 cases among the country's migrant worker population has now forced the government to take drastic measures.

On Thursday, Singapore saw its highest number of new cases thus far: 728, the vast majority of which were among migrant workers.

Nine dormitories, housing more than 50,000 men, mostly from Bangladesh, India and China, have been declared "isolation areas."

On Tuesday, the government put all dormitories effectively on lockdown, meaning that about 300,000 workers now have restrictions on their movements within their complexes.

The government appears to have been blindsided by this turn of events.

"Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of the benefit of hindsight," Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said in response to a question at a news conference on April 9. Wong is also the co-chair of a task force put together to lead Singapore's COVID-19 response.

He added: "The virus is moving so quickly."

"If I'd known, I would have done things differently. But no one can tell the next step."

While one can appreciate the number of considerations that the task force has to grapple with, an outbreak of the coronavirus among migrant workers should not have come as such a shock.

The country has nearly a million work permit holders, usually referring to low-wage workers such as domestic workers or manual labourers.

Though domestic workers are required to live with their employers, those who work at construction sites, shipyards, petrochemical refineries, or even as cleaners in neighbourhood estates, live in dormitories, often with about 12 to 20 people in a room.

One of the earlier clusters of COVID-19 was at a construction site.

Migrant labour rights groups have been warning for years that these cramped, crowded conditions were a recipe for disaster.

Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) and the local media reported an outbreak of chickenpox in 2008.

The same organization pointed out in 2016 that migrant workers were in need of better housing to protect them from the spread of dengue and Zika.

This March, before the outbreak of COVID-19 among migrant workers really hit home, TWC2's president wrote that the "risk of a new cluster among this group remains undeniable."

There is no way the government did not know of the conditions in which migrant workers live and the risks that they would face during a global pandemic.

The reality that COVID-19 so harshly reveals is that there has long been two Singapores: one for citizens, long-term residents and expatriates, and one for the low-wage migrant workers who provide the back-breaking labour upon which Singapore gleams.

While immigrants on work visas for white-collar jobs have rights to family reunification and paths to eventual long-term residency and citizenship, low-wage work permit holders have no such options.

They aren't even allowed to marry Singaporeans or permanent residents in Singapore without first seeking permission from the government.

This logic has even extended into virus containment measures.

At the April 9 press conference, Wong said that it was "important to realize and recognize that we are dealing with two separate infections" — one rising among migrant workers and a more stable situation among the rest of the population.

A later update, shared by the minister on Facebook, separated migrant worker cases from imported and community cases.

A separate task force has been convened specifically to look at migrant worker dormitories, with the military and police force roped in. Continue reading

There will be no masses in Hong Kong before the end of this month, while in Singapore masses have been suspended until further notice.

Similarly, the Churches are suspending large public events such as formation sessions, retreats and seminars.

Hong Kong is home to around 500,000 Catholics out of a total population of over 7 million, while in Singapore Catholics make up 300,000 of the city-state's 5.6 million people.

"The Church, being a member of society, has the duty to maintain public hygiene and promote the common good. Therefore, Parish Priests, the other parish clergy and the faithful are to strictly comply," Hong Kong's Cardinal John Tong Hon Tong said.

Follow-up measures would be announced before the end of the month, he said.

As they cannot go to mass, Tong encouraged Hong Kong's faithful to watch Sunday Mass online, make a spiritual Communion, reflect on the Sunday liturgical text, read the Bible, or say the rosary each Sunday.

He also suggested that the faithful watch ferial Masses online, or make Lenten devotions or spiritual exercises, such as the rosary, the Angelus, and daily prayer.

"Parish churches and affiliated chapels are to remain open to the faithful for personal prayers and visits to the Blessed Sacrament," Tong said.

"Parish churches may also arrange for the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament daily or on specific days, so that individual members of the faithful may take part and pray that the coronavirus infections will be contained as soon as possible."

Archbishop William Goh Seng Chye told Singapore's 220,000 Catholic residents that the "the cancellation of Masses does not mean that Catholics can excuse themselves from fulfilling the obligation of keeping the Day of the Lord holy.

"They should try to follow the broadcast of the Mass on YouTube or CatholicSG Radio," he added. He asked that people please check the archdiocesan website for the broadcast's time.

"Following the broadcast of the Mass will help you to receive the Lord spiritually," he said. "You can also gather as a family for the Liturgy of the Word by spending time in prayer, reading the Word of God of the Sunday Liturgy and interceding for the world that this Covid-19 virus will be contained and eradicated.

"Even if you cannot gather together as a family to worship, you should individually spend at least half an hour in quiet time to pray and especially read the Word of God," Goh said.

Other Christian and Buddhist groups in Singapore have begun to record their services and rituals in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, while the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore has also encouraged mosques to do so for events.

Every Nation Church and Paya Lebar Methodist Church are two of the churches that will broadcast their upcoming Sunday services.

Source

• CNA
• The Tablet
• Catholic News Agency
• Image: The Star Online

The Catholic Church, along with the National Council of Churches in Singapore said it is "deeply concerned" that the Government is sending "confusing and conflicting signals" with the partial lifting of the ban on online gambling.

It appealed for the Government to review the move.

Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club will be allowed to offer online services from next month.

In a pastoral letter to Catholics in Singapore, Archbishop William Goh wrote that the Church remains concerned about the possible ill-effects of a "gambling culture that could grip Singaporeans".

He added that the Church has appealed to the authorities to closely monitor the effectiveness of the various safeguards put in place.

For instance, only those aged 21 and above are able to open player accounts have to be implemented.

Punters are not allowed to gamble on credit.

They also must set daily funding and gambling limits.

"The Catholic Church appreciates that the Government has done its due diligence to ensure that stringent measures are put in place to minimise the ill-effects of online gambling," Archbishop Goh wrote.

"We also recognise that the authorities have taken pains to consult, clarify and assure us that this move to allow restricted access to online gambling operators and their services is one that has been taken only after careful study of the environment and in consideration of the greater good of society.

"Given that there is no way to totally eradicate illegal gambling online - and the risks such a move could have on the moral integrity and fabric of our society - we also recognise the Government's dilemma in tackling this highly sensitive and controversial issue that continues to plague modern society."

Goh said the Catholic Church has asked for more regular consultation and updates on the consequences of the Remote Gambling Act.

Source

• ChannelNews Asia
• Image: AsiaNews

In a statement released on February 20, Archbishop William Goh reminded Catholics of their "moral obligation not to support those who denigrate and insult religions . . .".

Archbishop Goh added that "'pseudo arts that promote sensuality, rebellion, disrespect, pornography, contamination of the mind of the young, abusive freedom, individualism at the expense of the common good, vulgarity, lies and half-truths", should not be supported.

"In multi-racial, multi-religious Singapore," he said, "we cannot afford to be overly permissive in favour of artistic expression at the expense of one's religion."

Madonna's music and performances were described as blasphemous and disrespectful because of her use of Catholic and Christian symbols.

There is no neutrality in faith, Archbishop Goh said.

"Being present at these events is itself a counter-witness."

The archbishop added: "Obedience to God and his commandments must come before the arts."

According to the statement, Singapore authorities have assured Archbishop Goh restrictions have been put in place to ensure that religiously-offensive content that breaches local guidelines will not be allowed on stage.

Madonna, who is touring Asia on her Rebel Heart tour, will perform at the National Stadium in Singapore on Sunday, February 28.

Last month, the Media Development Authority (MDA) in Singapore said that the concert had been given an R18 rating as it contains sexually suggestive content.

The authority stated that religiously-sensitive content, like the song "Holy Water", would not be performed.

A bishop in the Philippines called for Catholics to boycott Madonna concerts there earlier this week.

Madonna was raised as a Catholic in the United States, but later in life converted to a type of Judaism.

Sources

• Asia One
• Reuters
• Hollowverse
• Image: South China Morning Post

One of the books is "And Tango Makes Three", which is based on the true story of two male penguins which raised a chick in a New York Zoo.

The others are "White Swan Express", about children adopted by straight, gay, single and mixed-race parents, and "Who's in My Family" which features gay couples.

The National Library Board has 26 public libraries stocking five million books.

The books to be pulped are against its "pro-family" stance, the NLB stated, adding that its decision came after a complaint by a parent and an internal review.

The move has angered Singapore's arts and literary community, where it has been labelled "book burning".

Prominent local writer Ng Yi-Sheng said the NLB should have reached a "compromise solution, such as putting the books in adult lending or even the reference section".

A group of writers scheduled to speak at an NLB event about humour pulled out in protest.

But Singapore's information minister Yaacob Ibrahim said in a Facebook post the NLB's decision was "guided by community norms".

Sex between men is illegal in Singapore and is punishable by up to two years in jail under a provision in the penal code dating back to British colonial rule.

Singapore officials have promised that the city's gay community will not be hounded under this law.

But it has not been repealed because most of the city-state's citizens still do not accept homosexuality.

A survey of 4000 citizens by the government-linked Institute of Policy Studies earlier this year found that 78.2 per cent of Singaporeans believe same-sex relations are wrong.

Earlier this month, Singapore's Catholic Archbishop William Goh apologised for being insensitive to same-sex people in a pastoral letter.

In the letter, he wrote that the LGBT lifestyle is detrimental to society and contrary to Christian values.

In a later clarification, he said in using words like "detrimental" and "destructive", he was referring to same-sex couples adopting children.

The Church does not disapprove of a loving relationship between same-sex individuals that is chaste and faithful, the archbishop explained.

Sources

• The Telegraph
• Ecumenical News
• Catholic News Singapore
• Image: All In Singapore

Observed on January 31 this year, the Chinese New Year rings in the Year of the Wood Horse, but it's marked this time by considerable fire, according to feng shui experts. This could bring startling changes for the world, they say.

Fortune-tellers have also predicted this Year of the Horse could see increasing violence, turmoil and natural disasters — as if the previous Year of the Snake didn't cause enough trouble for the world. Continue reading.

Source: HuffPost Religion

Image: Performers display a dragon dance during a Chinese New Year parade in Hong Kong on January 31, 2014. Philippe Lopez/AFP/Getty Images

The party was advertised with an image of a woman donning a wimple and a revealing piece of black clothing.

Called Escape Chapel, the event was supposed to be the first Asian foray for the organizers of popular British music festival Escape Into The Park, which takes place each year in Swansea, Wales.

"We've used this opportunity to express how deeply remorseful we are for the all the upset we've caused to the Catholic community in the days leading up to their most holy of weekends," Creative Insurgence Director Aaghir Yadav said in a statement.

"We never intended to offend or mock the Catholic faith and chapel - and are very sorry for the poor judgment we've displayed in our marketing decisions."

Archbishop Chia Wednesday said the church accepted the apology and that the incident was a reminder "of the need for mutual respect for all religions in our multireligious country."