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The Istana
Speeches

Remarks By President Tharman Shanmugaratnam At The State Address With Pope Francis On Thursday, 12 September 2024 At University Cultural Centre (Ucc) National University Of Singapore

11 March 2025

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Opening Remarks

  1.  Your Holiness Pope Francis, Your Eminences, Former Presidents Dr Tony Tan and Madam Halimah Yacob, Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. A very good morning.

  2.  I am delighted to welcome His Holiness Pope Francis on his first State Visit to Singapore. This will be the second papal visit to Singapore, the first being a brief visit by Pope John Paul II 38 years ago.

  3.  The Holy See, under Your Holiness’ leadership, has been a strong and principled advocate for human fraternity and environmental sustainability. Indeed, you have spoken passionately about these issues during your trip in Southeast Asia.

  4.  These are critical challenges in the world today. The global order is weakening, and conflict and aggression remain unabated. There has been growing intolerance within societies themselves. At the same time, we are seeing accelerating climate change, making the world less safe for humanity. The global community needs to make more determined and forthright efforts to address each of these challenges.

Making Multicultural Harmony Is Continuous Work

  1.  Your Holiness has been an impassioned global voice against war. You have consistently called for efforts to promote harmony and dialogue between different groups and faiths. Your Holiness will speak about this important topic to our youth tomorrow.

  2.  This is an issue that resonates with Singaporeans. We are a multi-racial, multi-religious, and multi-cultural society.  There was a time in our history when these realities gave rise to inter-communal tensions. For us, solidarity and harmony have therefore been at the core, and will remain core features in our national development.

  3.  Today, Singaporeans treasure being in a country where various ethnic and religious communities live together peacefully. The Constitution enshrines their protection from discrimination, and beyond that, ensures that racial harmony be promoted.

  4.   Diversity is tolerated in Singapore, but it has come to be more than that. It is embraced, and viewed as bringing richness to our lives. It defines our very identity as a nation and gives us pride to be Singaporeans.

    1.  Our religious communities have each played their part to make this unusual circumstance possible. They respect one another, and the young especially seek out what they have in common. 

    2.  Our religious leaders play a key role in guiding their communities in understanding and practising their own religious beliefs, while also fostering shared norms and values with others.

    3.  It is ultimately this spirit of openness, mutual accommodation and respect that allows different religious communities to thrive in Singapore.

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