Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore
by Gianni Valente
Singapore (Agenzia Fides) - In Singapore, a nation that for years has led the rankings of the most prosperous countries in the world, the announcement of salvation, entrusted to the Church, is not transmitted through ‘discourses of human wisdom’ (St Ignatius of Antioch) but through the testimony of humble hearts in love with Christ. Experiencing the mercy of Christ is an unexpected event that can manifest itself in surprising ways, even in this City-State, immersed in the search for technological perfection and harmonious coexistence. This is what Cardinal William Goh Seng Chye, Archbishop of Singapore, said in an extensive interview - given in English - to Fides Agency and published on the day of Pope Francis' arrival in the island nation, as part as the fourth and final stage of his ‘tour to the South East’: the long Apostolic Journey of the Bishop of Rome who has already touched Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.
How can faith in Christ be communicated today in Singapore? Are there perhaps special methods to communicate faith in your society?
The first thing I always remind our people is that we are building a vibrant, evangelizing and missionary Church; not a "maintenance" Church. We want Catholics and church workers to be alive in their faith, expressed in their evangelizing and missionary zeal. But without a personal faith in Christ, without having fallen in love with Him, there is no mission. And how can we bring this mission to fruition?
The most important dimension of communicating faith in Singapore is to bring people to a personal encounter and conversion in Christ. This is brought about by giving them a personal experience His divine love and mercy; and be renewed in the life of the Holy Spirit. We bring about this personal encounter through retreats, vibrant and anointed worship services and faith-filled Eucharistic celebrations, personal testimony of God at work in their lives, sharing of the Word of God and bringing more people into full-time ministry in the Church, especially the younger generation. At the same time, we need to increase the pool of volunteers, but not mere volunteers but people who have encountered the Lord deeply.
Then there is an important group of people whom I call “the St Matthew’s ministry” that we need to work on...
Who are you referring to?
This is a targeted group of people that can be instrumental in helping the Church to advance her mission because these are the professionals, the influential, the rich and those with resources. But we need to convert these “tax-collectors” (as in the case of the Apostle Matthew, ed.) by helping them to fall in love with Christ. Once they encounter Christ, their lives will change radically and they will freely offer their expertise and resources to help the mission of the Church. Most of all, after encountering the Lord, they will bring other “tax-collectors” to Him as well, and we will have an increasing pool of professionals and influential friends to help us connect with the world and bring the gospel to them. The truth is that Christ came not for the healthy but the sick. The latter includes those who are successful in the world but find emptiness in their lives without God. They too need to be saved.
Equally important is the need to form small faith-filled communities, so that they could come together not just to do things for the Church, but to share their faith with each other, especially praying together and sharing the Word of God. We need to ensure that every member of the Catholic community belongs to a small faith community. In this way, by belonging to a community of faith, people will not walk alone but always with the support of their fellow Catholics.
This is even more important when it comes to helping our young people to grow in faith and be engaged with the Church. Many young people leave the Church after the sacrament of confirmation because they do not belong to any faith community in the Church. This is why we must also make the church a welcoming place to all and not put obstacles from those who wish to come to Church. We must not put up barriers and rules that make it difficult for people to come to church to worship or pray.
Singapore is one of the richest countries in the world. But there are also those who live below the poverty line…
Along with the explicit evangelization of the good news, our Church has two large umbrella organizations with more than 45 affiliates that serve the poor and marginalized in Singapore and abroad.
We see the work of charity and outreach as an important and essential component in the work of evangelization. The Church breathes with two lungs - the spiritual dimension of the faith and the work of charity. Unless people experience the mercy of God concretely in their lives, our proclamation of the good news in words only cannot change lives. But it is equally important that our charitable organizations not be reduced to mere humanitarian organizations or NGOs. They must be ready to announce the Good News and make themselves known as disciples of Christ whilst doing works of charity. This does not mean we engage in hostile proselytisation but we must find opportunities to share the Good News about Jesus, and not just provide them with material and temporal aids for they, too, need the gospel to find salvation for their souls and not just their bodies.
In your hyper-technological City, the work of the Church also makes extensive use of new technologies…
Whilst the best means of evangelization is a personal testimony of Christ to others by our words and life, we must also harness the social media tools to help us spread the Word of God and to share our faith with others. In the Archdiocese, the Church Digital Media helps us to communicate with every Catholic who downloads our Catholic.sg app. We have the Archdiocesan Communication Office to communicate the gospel to all on print, broadcast and digital platforms. This is particularly important among the younger generation. But tools remain tools. Unless we have faith-filled people, the best tools will not bring real conversion or touch the hearts of people. We need witnesses who are passionate and convicted of Christ as our Lord and saviour. We need to rely on prayers and His grace above all in the work of evangelization; not just techniques and strategies, or even hard work.
What missionary experiences have been most important for the budding of the Church in Singapore?
The Church is what it is today because of our forefathers and the missionaries who brought the faith to Singapore. We are forever indebted to the Sisters of the Infant Jesus, the Brothers of De La Salle, the Gabrielite Brothers, the Canossian Sisters and the Franciscan Missionary of Mary for providing education and social services to the poor. We are also grateful to the Franciscan Divine Motherhood of Mary which started the first hospital in Singapore. Most of all, the Church is what it is today because of the MEP Fathers who started the Church in Singapore in 1833 with the establishment of the first Catholic chapel, eventually known as the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd. Indeed, without their contributions, sacrifices and generosity, and most of all, faith, the Church would not be what it is today. We are all beneficiaries of the work of missionaries before us, not just Catholics alone but the entire Country. It was by their good works, their love for Christ and the salvation of souls, that more people were inspired to come to know Christ and be baptized. This is why we must now continue to do the same both within Singapore and for those called to also bring Christ beyond the shores of Singapore in gratitude to our foreign missionaries.
Interreligious harmony is vigorously guaranteed and protected by political authorities.
How do you, Your Eminence, view this role and direct intervention of political authorities in relations between different faith communities?
I am not comfortable with the statement that “Interreligious harmony is vigorously guaranteed and protected by political authorities.” It is true that the government plays an important part in the promotion of inter-religious harmony but to imply that we are controlled or manipulated by the government is far from the truth. What the government does is to ensure that no religion denigrates people of other faiths. There is freedom of worship and religion in Singapore and they respect the beliefs of each religion, so long as they do not cause public disorder. The government sees religions as partners in promoting the common good of our Country. We are not a threat to them and they are not a threat to religions. In fact, the government makes it clear that Singapore is a multi-racial and multi-religious country with a secular government. Singapore is not a secular state! The government appreciates the role of religions and we are grateful to the government for their trust in us. We work in tandem with the government for the good of our people.
The promotion of inter-religious harmony is primarily the work of the Inter-Religious Organization, a private body that recognizes the importance of being in dialogue. It is not even a Statutory Board. The religious leaders in Singapore are moderate and conscious of the need to respect and promote harmony and mutual understanding of each other’s religion. We attend each other's religious celebrations. We hold forums to share common values and appreciation of each other’s religions. The religious leaders have become friends with each other; supporting and encouraging each other, and sometimes even engaging in humanitarian works together. We do not take racial and religious harmony for granted because it is always a work in progress.
Stereotypes in the media global system continue to regard Christianity as the religion of the West. How do you perceive these definitions and clichés in Singapore?
Singaporeans are very much influenced by the West because most of us are educated in English and overseas in English-speaking countries. The older generation, which is passing, might have perceived Christianity as a religion of the West. But I am not sure that would be the general perception today. The fact that we have 18.9% of the population who identify as Protestants/Catholics also reveal the acceptance of most people in Singapore. In fact, Catholics have done much for the country in terms of education, medicine and humanitarian services. However, we do not accept an ultra-exclusivist view of religions, while not denying the uniqueness of each religion.
You mentioned that in Singapore you experience pastoral problems similar to those experienced in many Countries in Europe. What are these problems?
Singapore being a highly educated, socially connected and sophisticated society, affluent and influenced very much by the West, shares the problems of the first world countries. We have to deal with the challenges of social media, fake news, and all kinds of information/misinformation that contaminate the minds of our young people. The younger generation is very much influenced by the views of the West with regard to same-sex relationships and transgenderism. So, too, when it comes to divorce and remarriage. Like many advanced countries, the younger generation tends to be more individualistic and self-centred, concerned about their happiness rather than the larger common good of society. They want to enjoy all the good things in life. Many are so focused on their career and have no time for marriage and even if they are married, they do not want the burden of having to raise children. With affluence, there is much independence, and women no longer need to get married to find fulfilment in life. Again, with affluence and a high level of education, many of our young people who are so immersed in the world of science and technology, experimentation of all kinds of adventures, tend to see religions as old-fashioned and even superstitious. Everything is based on science and reason alone. The perspective of faith is seen to be naïve. They are very much formed by the internet world which gives them so much information that they are paralyzed into making any commitment to anything.
Sometimes someone describes Singapore as a “perfect” society, where all problems are solved and all needs are answered. But is this really the case?
Ha ha! We are certainly not a “perfect” society but we are trying to do the right thing. We have a good government that is sensible, sensitive and inclusive. The government is highly respected by the people and they have won the trust of the people to do the right thing and the best for Singapore. They try to keep society together, with the rich helping those who are in the lower social classes. There are strict laws which we are too happy to comply with, because it is for the good, safety and well-being of our people. But like everyone in the world, we are also struggling to find real happiness, strong and loving relationships and most of all, meaning. So whilst we have peace, harmony, security and a good economy, it is not everything in life. Man does not live on bread alone! What our young people are seeking today is more than just comfort and pleasure, they want meaning and purpose. And this is where religion comes in. When I minister to them, I always give them hope in life, a hope that is real, a hope that gives them real happiness by encountering the love of God that quenches the thirst of their hearts; and then in turn giving their lives in service to the community, and to the poor. Indeed, because we are affluent, the people are very religious because now they seek God not because they want temporal and material favours but they seek for lasting meaning, purpose, relationship, love and joy in life. This is why Singapore is a very religious society with more than 80% subscribing to one religion or another. Even among the 20% who declare themselves as agnostic, it does not mean that all are atheists, but that they do not belong to any religion or denomination, although deep in their hearts, they recognize the presence of the Sacred. This is where we have an opportunity to evangelise by sharing with them how Jesus is the Way to the Truth and to Life. Only Jesus can give them real security, meaning and purpose.
What are the accents of Pope Francis' magisterium and preaching that most touch the hearts of people in Singapore?
Pope Francis is highly respected and regarded as a man of God by many Singaporeans, even among non-Catholics because of his vision of promoting harmony in the world, among religions and respect for creation through dialogue. It is his message of mercy and compassion and inclusivity that wins the hearts of many, whether it is those with same-sex orientation, transgender, etcetera. He shows appreciation of the contribution of women and the elderly. He champions the marginalized, the poor, the voiceless, the migrants and those suffering from wars. He reaches out to non-Christian religions, promotes inter-religious dialogue and mutual respect. He shows the world that Catholicism is truly a universal religion because we embrace everyone and respect all without exception regardless of race, language, culture, or religion. Within the Church, he has brought about many reforms, transforming the Church to be truly an evangelizing Church with both laity and clergy being co-responsible for the mission of the Church. He brought the Church together by asking the Church to be synodal at every level of Church life, by journeying with each other in the Spirit, listening and discerning together as Church. He is truly the face of the compassionate and loving Christ to all. (Agenzia Fides, 11/9/2024)
