More than 1,000 Singapore Catholics gather at Memorial Mass for Pope Francis

SINGAPORE: What was meant to be a day of celebration turned solemn for Mrs Samantha Pereira. Just three hours before she was due to be baptised, she heard the news that Pope Francis had died. 

"We were a bit shocked, but I'm so grateful that I'm able to partake in this after I was baptised," said Mrs Pereira, 62. 

On Tuesday afternoon (Apr 22), Mrs Pereira joined more than 1,000 Catholics at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd for a Memorial Mass in honour of the late pontiff. 

The turnout exceeded the church's 900-seat capacity. While elderly attendees were given priority to sit inside, many others stood outside in the sweltering afternoon heat to watch a livestream of the Mass. 

Pope Francis died on Monday from a stroke and "irreversible" heart failure. He was 88. 

MORE THAN JUST A POPE

Among the mourners was Ms Elizabeth Tang, 26, who was at work when she heard the news from her boss. She said she felt a mixture of sadness and hope. 

“Even though he has passed away, it's not the end of the story. He's passing over to a new life,” said Ms Tang, who works in community services. 

Others, like Ms Li-Shann Low, 27, said Pope Francis had always reminded Catholics to remember the “least, last and lost” in society. 

“In his 12 years of being a pope, he has really been a model of Christ's love for all of us,” she said.

For Ms Agnes Paculdar, 49, Pope Francis was like a spiritual father. 

“Being the leader of the church is definitely not easy, considering that the church is facing a lot of challenges in this modern time,” she said. 

“For him to teach compassion and acceptance and inclusiveness in such a difficult century is, for me, very radical,” said Ms Paculdar, who works in research. 

Ms Paculdar fondly recalled helping out as part of the Eucharistic ministry when Pope Francis visited Singapore in September 2024, as part of his four-nation Asia-Pacific tour. 

During his three-day visit, he presided over a papal mass at the National Stadium, attended an interreligious dialogue with youths and visited a Catholic welfare nursing home. 

“Looking back, it's really a blessing to be able to see him for the last time,” she said. 

After the service, Singapore's archbishop, Cardinal William Goh, paid tribute to the late pontiff. 

“Pope Francis really is a man for all, a man who has a heart for the vulnerable, the sick, marginalised, and those who are suffering,” he said. 

During the Homily, he added that the pope was a man who cared for everyone, regardless of whether they were Catholics. 

The Catholic Church will observe a nine-day period of mourning, said Mr Andre Ahchak, a spokesperson from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore. 

There will be a dedicated online space on the CatholicSG website for people to leave messages of condolences, he added. Parishes across the archdiocese will organise their own memorial events and prayer vigils. 

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis was the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church. 

Earlier this year, the pontiff spent five weeks in the hospital for double pneumonia. He left the facility in March and last appeared in St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.

Cardinals are due to meet on Tuesday to plan Pope Francis’ funeral. The Vatican has said it expects the ceremony to take place sometime between Friday and Sunday. 

Pope Francis will become the first pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican. He rejected the tradition of having three coffins and chose to be buried in just a single coffin made of wood and zinc.