'Once in a lifetime'

Crowd of 50,000 people gather at National Stadium for Pope Francis’ mass

- Chin Soo Fang and Carmen Sin

A crowd of some 50,000 people, from swaddled infants to whitehaired seniors, welcomed Pope Francis to Singapore at the National Stadium on Sept 12.

Many were wearing the yellow and white colours of the Vatican flag for the papal mass.

One souvenir store, selling items such as T-shirts, sling bags and commemorative pins, was all but cleaned out by 3pm.

Hundreds of others who had failed to secure tickets gathered outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pontiff as he arrived.

The Pope, who is here as part of a 12-day Asia-Pacific tour, had a simple message: It is love that lies at the foundation of all human works, including the "great and bold architecture" of Singapore.

Moments after he was driven into the stadium at 4.30pm, babies were brought up to him and children lined up before his buggy to be gifted rosaries and sweets. The Pope also stopped to bless several adults, including people with disabilities.

Some were moved to tears as they approached the pontiff, while others snapped selfies with him. A few young ones, not knowing the significance of the rare encounter, burst out crying.

"It is blessed weather today. A bit hot, but not too much," said manager Genevieve Chan, 52, who was just a girl when Pope John Paul II made a five-hour visit to Singapore nearly 40 years ago. "I remember the heavy rain in 1986, so this is good."

Mr Andrew Tang, a 54-year-old oil broker who attended the mass with his two children and two brothers, said the event was a oncein-a-lifetime event for him. "If I miss this, I don't know when I will get the chance again. Probably in my next life."

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his wife, along with other Cabinet ministers, cardinals and bishops from the Holy See and from the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, also attended the mass.