Otodiva – Pope Francis arrived in Singapore on Wednesday (11/9), begins the final leg of his visit to Southeast Asia. However, this time something is different. Instead of using a car Toyota as in previous countries, The Pope chose the Hyundai Ioniq electric car 5 as its official vehicle in Singapore. This change attracted quite a lot of public attention, mengingat Paus seringkali dikenal menggunakan mobil ‘merakyat’ buatan Toyota.
Before arriving in Singapore, Pope Francis has visited several countries in the Southeast Asia region, including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor Leste. While in these three countries, The Pope uses Toyota cars, like the Toyota Innova Zenix in Indonesia, Toyota Raize in Papua New Guinea, and Toyota Sienta in Timor Leste.
In Singapore, Initial public expectations were that the Pope would continue to use Toyota cars, as in previous visits. However, upon arrival at Changi Airport, after taking a ride in a golf cart for a short trip, Pope Francis immediately switched to electric cars Hyundai Ioniq 5 to continue its activities in this city.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 The one used by Pope Francis has an elegant appearance with white paint, similar to the vehicles he used in previous countries. This car is also equipped with a special SCV number plate 1, stand for State of the Vatican City, which marks the presence of the Vatican City State. Nevertheless, there is one interesting thing to pay attention to, namely, this car does not have the Singapore flag or Vatican flag installed on either side of the vehicle, different from the usual tradition.
Pope Francis also sat in the front seat, right next to the driver, gives a simple impression even though he is the world Catholic leader. This trip in an electric car seems to illustrate his seriousness towards environmental and sustainability issues, which has taken center stage in his papal messages over the past few years.
According to a report from CNN Indonesia quoted by Otodiva, The Pope's agenda while in Singapore is quite busy. Shortly after arriving, The Pope went straight to St. Francis Xavier Retreat Center to hold private meetings with members of the Society of Jesus (Society of Jesus). This meeting took place on the day of his arrival and was one of the highlights of the Pope's visit to the city-state.
The next day, Thursday (12/9), Pope Francis is scheduled to receive an official welcome at Singapore's Parliament Building at 2 p.m 9 morning. On this occasion, The Pope will meet with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. This meeting is expected to be an important moment to strengthen relations between Singapore and the Vatican.
Besides that, The Pope will also visit the Cultural Center at the National University of Singapore at around 2 p.m 10.30 to meet with the diplomatic corps and civil society representatives. This meeting is part of his efforts to encourage cross-cultural and religious dialogue.
In the afternoon of the same day, Pope Francis will lead a holy mass at the Singapore National Stadium. This Mass is expected to be attended by more than 50 thousands of Catholics who came from various parts of the country. Mass will begin at 17.15 and became one of the highlights of the Pope's apostolic visit to Singapore.
After completing a series of activities on Thursday, Pope Francis still has several important agendas on Friday (13/9). In the morning, he will visit St. Theresa Home to meet with seniors groups, an activity that has always been part of its concern for the vulnerable and in need. Furthermore, The Pope will hold an interfaith dialogue with young people at Catholic Junior College, before finally leaving Singapore around noon.
Pope Francis' visit to Singapore is the conclusion of a series of his apostolic journeys in Southeast Asia. Although there are changes in the choice of vehicle used, The Pope's mission of peace and message of unity remains the same, namely strengthening relations across religions and cultures and encouraging efforts for peace and social justice throughout the world.
