Singapore leaders send condolence letters to the Holy See after Pope Francis' death
Pope Francis with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the pontiff's state address at NUS University Cultural Centre in September 2024. PHOTO: ST FILE
Singapore leaders send condolence letters to the Holy See after Pope Francis' death
SINGAPORE - President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong sent condolence letters to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, on April 22 following the death of Pope Francis.
Francis, leader of the world's 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, died in Rome on April 21. He was 88.
President Tharman said the pontiff was an advocate for peace and interfaith acceptance while supporting responsible efforts to combat climate change, and how it harms the most vulnerable communities.
'Pope Francis was a leader for a troubled world,' wrote President Tharman in the letter released by the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 22.
'He will be remembered too for his humility, his walking alongside the poor, and his respect for the dignity of every individual.'
PM Wong said relations between Singapore and the Holy See, the authority governing the Vatican City and the Catholic Church, were significantly strengthened during Francis' papacy, which began in 2013.
He wrote that the pope left a lasting impression on many Singaporeans during his three-day visit in September 2024, when the Argentine met both President Tharman and PM Wong.
Francis consistently called for unity and the building of bridges across diverse communities, wrote PM Wong, adding that these messages resonate deeply in Singapore's multi-racial and multi-religious society.
The pope's efforts to promote peace and fraternity will continue to inspire people globally, added PM Wong.
Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
Public to expect lane closures and security checks during Singapore-Indonesia Leaders' Retreat
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (right) will make his first state visit to Singapore on June 16 and meet Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (left). PHOTO: ST FILE SINGAPORE – Motorists should avoid roads near the Parliament House and Raffles Singapore hotel on June 16. This is because the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders' Retreat will be held at the Parliament House, with State Lunch at Raffles Singapore. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will make his first state visit to Singapore on June 16 where he will receive a ceremonial welcome at Parliament House. He will call on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and also meet Prime Minister Lawrence Wong for the annual Singapore-Indonesia Leaders' Retreat. The meeting is a long-held tradition in which the countries' leaders and ministers meet informally each year to discuss ways to strengthen ties. The police said in an advisory on June 15 that they would be conducting security checks on vehicles around both locations near Raffles Place that day. The right lane of Parliament Place from North Bridge Road to lamp post 4F will be closed on June 16 from 4am to 4pm. The left two lanes of North Bridge Road from Seah Street to lamp post 61F will also be closed that day from 12.30pm to 3.30pm for the State Lunch. Police officers and auxiliary police officers will be deployed along Parliament Place and North Bridge Road to assist and direct motorists. Parking restrictions will be strictly enforced and vehicles found parking illegally or causing obstruction will be towed. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore will also be establishing a Temporary Restricted Area (TRA) over the Parliament House that day from 8.30am to 1.30pm , where the conduct of aerial and unmanned aircraft activities within and into the TRA is prohibited. If convicted for the offence under the ANO, he or she may be fined of up to $20,000 for the first offence, and a fine of up to $40,000 or imprisonment of up to 15 months, or both, for the second and subsequent offence. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Straits Times
Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto to make first state visit to Singapore on June 16
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong meeting Mr Prabowo Subianto, President of the Republic of Indonesia, on Oct 20, 2024. PHOTO: MDDI Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto to make first state visit to Singapore on June 16 SINGAPORE – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will make his first state visit to Singapore on June 16. Mr Prabowo, who took office in October 2024, will receive a ceremonial welcome at Parliament House, said Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry (MFA) on June 15. He will call on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who will host a state banquet in his honour. Mr Prabowo will also meet Prime Minister Lawrence Wong for the annual Singapore-Indonesia Leaders' Retreat. The two leaders have met several times since they each took over as heads of government. For PM Wong, that was in May 2024. PM Wong visited Jakarta in end-October to attend Mr Prabowo's inauguration and joined other invited leaders to personally offer his congratulations. He also made an introductory visit to Jakarta at the start of November. The pair also met recently on the sidelines of the 46th Asean Summit in May in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. MFA said that as the highest-level platform between the two countries, the annual meeting – in its eighth iteration this year – is 'testament to the excellent bilateral relations and strong interpersonal ties between our leaders'. This will be the first Leaders' Retreat for both men in their current capacities. They had attended the Leaders' Retreat hosted by Indonesia in April 2024, when PM Wong was still deputy prime minister, and Mr Prabowo was president-elect. MFA said PM Wong and Mr Prabowo will review the 'strong and substantive cooperation' between Singapore and Indonesia and chart the way forward. 'Singapore and Indonesia share a longstanding friendship and collaborate closely in key areas such as defence, the green economy, and connectivity,' said the ministry. Recent milestones include three key agreements to strengthen cooperation in clean energy and sustainable development. The memorandums of understanding were inked on June 13 during a visit to Jakarta by Dr Tan See Leng, Singapore's Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science and Technology, and Dr Bahlil Lahadalia, Indonesia's Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources. Three landmark pacts between the two countries also officially came into force on March 21, 2024. The three agreements – which deal with airspace management, defence cooperation and extradition – come under an expanded framework between the two countries. MFA said Mr Prabowo will be accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono and Minister of Defence Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin. He will also be accompanied by Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman, Minister of Investment and Downstream Industry Rosan Roeslani, and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. Goh Yan Han is political correspondent at The Straits Times. She writes Unpacked, a weekly newsletter on Singapore politics and policy. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Business Times
11 hours ago
- Business Times
Indonesia President Prabowo to visit Singapore for Leaders' Retreat
[SINGAPORE] Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto will be making a state visit to Singapore on Monday (Jun 16), in his first official visit to the Republic since his inauguration on Oct 20 last year. Accompanied by a delegation of ministers, Prabowo will meet Prime Minister Lawrence Wong for the eighth annual Singapore-Indonesia Leaders' Retreat, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Sunday. The Leader's Retreat is the highest-level platform between the two countries to discuss how to strengthen ties. While here, Prabowo will also call on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who will host him at a state banquet. This is the first time both PM Wong and Prabowo are attending the Leader's Retreat in their current capacities – but not the first time they are meeting at the event. For last year's Leader's Retreat on Apr 29, held at Indonesia's Bogor state palace, PM Wong accompanied then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, in his capacity as deputy prime minister. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up There, they met Indonesia's then-president Joko Widodo and Prabowo – who was then president-elect. The leaders discussed topics ranging from cooperation in defence, the digital economy and the green economy, to potential investments in Indonesia's new capital of Nusantara in East Kalimantan. At this year's Leader's Retreat, PM Wong and President Prabowo are expected to review the close ties between Singapore and Indonesia, and discuss how to deepen cooperation in areas such as defence, the green economy and connectivity, MFA said. Ahead of the visit, Singapore and Indonesia on Friday signed three memorandums of understanding on cross-border electricity trade, carbon capture and storage, and a sustainable industrial zone. These were signed by Singapore's Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science and Technology Tan See Leng and Indonesia's Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia during the former's visit to Jakarta. Strong bilateral ties Singapore and Indonesia share a 'longstanding friendship', said MFA, noting that both countries have been collaborating closely with each other on a variety of bilateral issues. One such area in which progress has been made is the Expanded Framework Agreements, which entered into force on Mar 21, 2024. These comprise agreements dealing with air space management, defence cooperation and extradition of fugitives. The countries also have deep economic and people-to-people ties. Indonesia is Singapore's eight-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade of S$74.2 billion last year, indicated Singapore Department of Statistics data. The Republic has also been Indonesia's top source of foreign direct investments since 2014, clocking US$20.1 billion worth of such investments last year. Both countries are among each other's top source of visitor arrivals. Last year, Singapore had 2.49 million visitors from Indonesia, while Indonesia welcomed 1.4 million tourists from Singapore in 2023.
