CHICAGO (AP) — Warning of a difficult fight ahead, former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama on Tuesday called on the nation to embrace Kamala Harris in urgent messages to the Democratic National Convention that were at times both hopeful and ominous.
“America, hope is making a comeback,” the former first lady declared. She then tore into Republican Donald Trump, a sharp shift from the 2016 convention speech in which she told her party, “When they go low, we go high.”
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FILE - Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, and his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., wave after Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 28, 2008, in Denver. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)
CHICAGO (AP) — Warning of a difficult fight ahead, former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama on Tuesday called on the nation to embrace Kamala Harris in urgent messages to the Democratic National Convention that were at times both hopeful and ominous.
Former President Barack Obama hugs former first lady Michelle Obama as he is introduced during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Former President Barack Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Former first lady Michelle Obama speaking during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff speaking at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY., speaks during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., speaking during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., waits to speak during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives with running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at the Fiserv Forum during a campaign rally in Milwaukee, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris is seen on a video monitor after the roll call during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Members of the Iowa delegation cheering during roll call at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
DJ Cassidy speaks during Roll Call at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Delegates hold signs during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Jason Carter, former President Jimmy Carter's grandson, speaks during the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Patti LaBelle performing on stage during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer talks to Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Common performs during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Stephanie Grisham, former Trump White House Press Secretary speaks during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Delegates arrive at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
A delegate wears a decorated hat during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., holds a sign as President Joe Biden speaks during the Democratic National Convention Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Grandson Beau Biden holds President Joe Biden's hands as Hunter Biden smiles during the first day of Democratic National Convention, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
FILE - Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, and his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., wave after Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 28, 2008, in Denver. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, left, and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris listen during speeches at the Democratic National Convention, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Second Gentalman Douglas Emhoff list to First Lady Jill Biden speak during the Democratic National Convention Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden on stage with second gentleman Doug Emhoff, left, and first lady Jill Biden, right, during the Democratic National Convention Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
“His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black,” Michelle Obama said of Trump.
Barack Obama, the first Black president in U.S. history, insisted the nation is ready to elect Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian heritage and would be the nation's first female president. He also called Trump “a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.”
“It’s been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that’s actually gotten worse now that he’s afraid of losing to Kamala,” he said.
The fiery messages from two of the Democratic Party's biggest stars underscored the urgency of the moment as Harris works to stitch together a broad coalition in her bid to defeat Trump this fall. The vice president is drawing on stars like the Obamas and other celebrities, officials from the far left to the middle, and even some Republicans to boost her campaign.
And while the theme of the night was “a bold vision for America’s future,” the disparate factions of Harris’ evolving coalition demonstrated, above all, that they are connected by a deep desire to prevent a second Trump presidency.
In an appearance perhaps intended to needle Trump, his former press secretary Stephanie Grisham — now a harsh critic of her former boss — also took the convention stage.
Trump “has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth,” Grisham said. “I love my country more than my party. Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people. And she has my vote.”
Sens. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, and Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent beloved by progressives, both praised Harris.
Schumer called on voters to elect another Democratic majority to the U.S. Senate. “She can’t do it alone,” he said of a prospective President Harris.
Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, said he was eager to work with Harris in the White House as well. Their policy goals, he said, are "not a radical agenda.”
As Democrats addressed the nation from Chicago, Harris faced an estimated 15,000 people in battleground Wisconsin in the arena where Republicans held their convention last month. She said that she was running “a people-powered campaign.”
“Together we will chart a new way forward,” the vice president said in remarks that were partially broadcast to the DNC. “A future for freedom, opportunity, of optimism and faith.”
Still, it was not all serious on the second night of the four-day convention.
A symbolic roll call in which delegates from each state pledged their support for the Democratic nominee turned into a party atmosphere. A DJ played a mix of state-specific songs — and Atlanta native Lil Jon ran out during Georgia’s turn to his hit song with DJ Snake, “Turn Down for What,” to the delight of the thousands inside the cavernous United Center.
And various speakers offered personal stories about Harris, who has served as a California senator and vice president, but remains largely unknown among many voters.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who would become the nation's first gentleman if his wife wins the presidency, shared details about his relationship with the vice president — their cooking habits, their first date and her laugh, which is often mocked by Republican critics.
“You know that laugh. I love that laugh!” Emhoff said as the crowd cheered. Later, he added, “Her empathy is her strength.”
Trump, meanwhile, was out on the campaign trail as part of his weeklong swing-state tour during the Democratic convention. He went to Howell, Michigan, on Tuesday and stood aside sheriff’s deputies as he labeled Harris the “ringleader” of a “Marxist attack on law enforcement” across the country.
“Kamala Harris will deliver crime, chaos, destruction and death,” Trump said in one of many generalizations about an America under Harris.
Throughout their convention, Democrats have sought to balance a message of unity with an embrace of diversity.
Barack Obama’s speech Tuesday night made perhaps the most forceful case for that model as a logical step forward for a bitterly divided nation. In contrast to the party’s rhetoric in the recent past around race, Obama framed the Democrats’ approach as “a new way forward” for a modern society in contrast to a “divisive,” “old” and “tired” strategy of vision offered by the party’s chief opponent, Trump.
Michelle Obama also addressed race directly as she jabbed Trump, referencing a comment he made in a June debate.
“Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs’?" she said. ”It’s his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better."
Barack Obama returned to the convention stage 20 years after making his first appearance at a national convention, a 2004 appearance in Boston that propelled him into the national spotlight ahead of his successful presidential run. And he praised President Joe Biden, who ended his reelection bid last month and endorsed Harris.
“History will remember Joe Biden as a president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger,” Obama said Tuesday as the crowd chanted, “Thank you, Joe.” “I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend.”
Harris, meanwhile, cast the election in dire, almost existential terms. She implored Americans not to get complacent in light of the Supreme Court decision carving out broad presidential immunity, a power she said Trump would abuse.
She has also seized on Trump’s opposition to a nationally guaranteed right to abortion.
“They seemingly don’t trust women,” she said of Trump and his Republican allies. “Well, we trust women.”
The vice president's speech in Milwaukee evoked some of the same themes that underlaid Biden’s case for reelection before he dropped out, casting Trump as a threat to democracy. Harris argued that Trump threatens the values and freedoms that Americans hold dear.
Trump said he would be a dictator only on his first day in office, a quip he later said was a joke, and has vowed as president to assert more control over federal prosecutions, an area of government that has traditionally been left to the Justice Department.
Someone with that record “should never again have the opportunity to stand behind the seal of the president of the United States,” Harris said. “Never again.”
Cooper reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writers Matt Brown, Farnoush Amiri and Will Weissert in Chicago contributed to this report.
Former President Barack Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Former President Barack Obama hugs former first lady Michelle Obama as he is introduced during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Former President Barack Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Former first lady Michelle Obama speaking during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff speaking at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY., speaks during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., speaking during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., waits to speak during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives with running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at the Fiserv Forum during a campaign rally in Milwaukee, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris is seen on a video monitor after the roll call during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Members of the Iowa delegation cheering during roll call at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
DJ Cassidy speaks during Roll Call at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Delegates hold signs during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Jason Carter, former President Jimmy Carter's grandson, speaks during the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Patti LaBelle performing on stage during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer talks to Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Common performs during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Stephanie Grisham, former Trump White House Press Secretary speaks during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Delegates arrive at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
A delegate wears a decorated hat during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., holds a sign as President Joe Biden speaks during the Democratic National Convention Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Grandson Beau Biden holds President Joe Biden's hands as Hunter Biden smiles during the first day of Democratic National Convention, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
FILE - Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, and his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., wave after Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 28, 2008, in Denver. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, left, and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris listen during speeches at the Democratic National Convention, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Second Gentalman Douglas Emhoff list to First Lady Jill Biden speak during the Democratic National Convention Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden on stage with second gentleman Doug Emhoff, left, and first lady Jill Biden, right, during the Democratic National Convention Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
SINGAPORE (AP) — Pope Francis on Thursday praised Singapore’s economic strength as a testament to human ingenuity but urged the city-state to look after the weakest, too, especially foreign workers, as he opened the final leg of his tour through some of Asia’s poorest countries in one of the world’s richest.
Singapore celebrated his arrival by unveiling a new hybrid orchid named for him, the "Dendrobium His Holiness Pope Francis." Presented during an official welcome ceremony, the orchid “exudes a serene and pure beauty” of ivory white petals with a pink tinge at the center, according to the National Parks Board.
Francis arrived in Singapore from East Timor and began his official program Thursday by meeting with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong before addressing government authorities and the diplomatic corps at the National University of Singapore.
There, Francis marveled at Singapore's modern skyscrapers “that seem to rise from the sea” and the government's commitment to providing public housing and quality education and health care to its people. But he urged authorities to beware of rewarding excellence at all costs, a reference to Singapore’s highly competitive work and educational culture.
“I would like to highlight the risk entailed in focusing solely on pragmatism or placing merit above all things, namely the unintended consequence of justifying the exclusion of those on the margins from benefiting from progress,” he said.
In a common appeal from history’s first Latin American pope, Francis called especially for dignified pay and conditions for migrant workers, who have helped build Singapore into one of the world’s most advanced economic powerhouses.
“These workers contribute a great deal to society and should be guaranteed a fair wage,” Francis said.
Singapore has no minimum wage policy for locals or foreigners.
Singapore is the last stop of Francis’ 11-day tour that is the longest and farthest of his papacy after earlier stops in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor. The economic disparities were obvious upon arrival Wednesday as Francis landed in Singapore’s high-tech airport aboard the lone aircraft belonging to Aero Dili, the national carrier of East Timor, where around 42% of its people live below the poverty line.
Singapore has long touted as a success story its transformation from a colonial port lacking natural resources into a financial and trade power in just a few decades since independence from Malaysia in 1965. The former British colony enjoys one of the highest living standards in the world, and is known for its safety and low crime rate. But it is also one of the most expensive cities to live in and its competitive work environment makes for a stressful, overworked people.
Foreigners account for over a third of Singapore’s workforce, and more than 250,000 are migrant workers from Pakistan, Bangladesh and other poorer Asian countries. Most work in construction, shipping and maintenance jobs, helping to support Singapore’s trade-reliant economy.
Human Rights Watch said in a report last year that foreign migrant workers in the city-state face labor rights abuses and exploitation through exorbitant debts owed to recruitment agents, non-payment of wages, restrictions on movement, confiscation of passports, and sometimes physical and sexual violence. It said foreign domestic workers are excluded from many key labor protections, such as limits on daily work hours and sick leave and annual leave protections.
In his remarks to the pope, President Shanmugaratnam highlighted Singapore’s commitment to environmental sustainability and interfaith harmony, saying both were the result of hard work and dedication over decades.
“We are a multiracial, multireligious, and multicultural society,” he said. “For us, solidarity and harmony have therefore been at the core, and will remain core features in our national development.”
He praised Francis’ consistent call to care for God’s creation, saying Singapore too had made sustainability a priority ever since independence nearly six decades ago. Singapore’s greening plan through 2030 envisages greater reliance on solar energy, waste reduction and imposition of carbon taxes to transition to a low-carbon economy.
“As a small city-state, we have sought to balance development with environmental responsibility,” he said.
Francis is visiting Singapore to encourage its Catholics, who make up about 3.5% of the population of just under 6 million, while highlighting Singapore’s tradition of interfaith coexistence. According to a 2020 census, Buddhists make up about 31% of the population, Christians 19% and Muslims 15%, while about a fifth of the population claimed no religious belief whatsoever.
Francis celebrates Mass later Thursday in Singapore’s national stadium and will preside over an interfaith youth event Friday morning before returning to Rome.
AP writer Eileen Ng contributed from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
The car carrying Pope Francis leaves from the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
The car carrying Pope Francis leaves from the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Pope Francis in a car, waves as he leaves from the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Pope Francis waves from the car, as he leaves from the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Pope Francis addresses Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, right, and the audience during a meeting with the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps in the theatre of the Cultural Centre of the National University of Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis attends a welcome ceremony with the President of the Singapore Republic Tharman Shanmugaratnam, right, at the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis arrives with the President of the Singapore Republic Tharman Shanmugaratnam, third from left, for a visit to the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis arrives with the President of the Singapore Republic Tharman Shanmugaratnam, third from left, for a visit to the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The guard of honor is lined up awaiting the arrival of Pope Francis for a welcome ceremony with the President of the Singapore Republic Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis attends a welcome ceremony with the President of the Singapore Republic Tharman Shanmugaratnam, right, at the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The guard of honor is lined up awaiting the arrival of Pope Francis for a welcome ceremony with the President of the Singapore Republic Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis attends a welcome ceremony with the President of the Singapore Republic Tharman Shanmugaratnam, right, at the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis signs the book of honor during a welcome ceremony with the President of the Singapore Republic Tharman Shanmugaratnam, second from left, at the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis, left, waits for the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong at the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, pool)
Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore's National Parks Board Hwang Yu-Ning, right, and Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, left, present Pope Francis with a 'Dendrobium His Holiness Pope Francis', a specially bred orchid variety named after him in honor of his visit to Singapore during a welcome ceremony at the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis meets with the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, center right, at the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, pool)
Pope Francis meets with the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, right, at the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, pool)
Pope Francis is greeted by the President of the Singapore Republic Tharman Shanmugaratnam, right, during a welcome ceremony at the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis meets with the President of the Singapore Republic Tharman Shanmugaratnam, right, at the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, pool)
Pope Francis signs the book of honor during a welcome ceremony with the President of the Singapore Republic Tharman Shanmugaratnam, left, at the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore's National Parks Board Hwang Yu-Ning presents Pope Francis with a 'Dendrobium His Holiness Pope Francis', a specially bred orchid variety named after him at the Parliament House in Singapore, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world's richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)