Can a skyscraper represent love? Pope Francis says it can in Singapore
SINGAPORE – Surrounded by a city-state whose urban core contains more than 100 high-rise structures straining towards the sky, Pope Francis on 12 September declared that while engineering and finance are critical parts of those symbols of development, at their core they also speak of a “love that builds up”. Speaking during his Mass at The post Can a skyscraper represent love? Pope Francis says it can in Singapore appeared first on Catholic Herald.
Syndicated News 
SINGAPORE – Surrounded by a city-state whose urban core contains more than 100 high-rise structures straining towards the sky, Pope Francis on 12 September declared that while engineering and finance are critical parts of those symbols of development, at their core they also speak of a “love that builds up”.
Speaking during his Mass at Singapore’s Sports Hub National Stadium, the same venue that hosted six sold-out Taylor Swift concerts in March, the Pope paid homage to the beauty and ingenuity of Singapore’s infrastructure, saying it has made the city-state of roughly 6 million people “famous and fascinating”.
However, beyond the striking exterior, he urged citizens to remember that “in the end, at the origins of these imposing buildings, as with any other undertaking that leaves a positive mark on our world, while people may think they are primarily about money, techniques or even engineering ability, which are certainly useful, what we really find is love, precisely the ‘love that builds up’.”
Francis reflected on a verse in Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, when he says that “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up”.
“While good works may have brilliant, strong, rich and creative people behind them, there are always fragile women and men, like us, for whom without love there is no life, no impetus, no reason to act, no strength to build,” he said.
The Pope stressed to Catholics that “if there is anything good that exists and endures in this world, it is only because, in innumerable situations, love has prevailed over hate, solidarity over indifference, generosity over selfishness”.
“Without this, no one here would have been able to give rise to such a great metropolis, for the architects would not have designed it, the workers would not have worked on it and nothing would have been achieved,” the Pope said.
Pope Francis spoke on his second day in Singapore, and as he nears the end of his sprawling 2 – 13 September tour of Asia and Oceania that has also taken him to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.
RELATED: Not a bad turnout: Pope’s Mass attended by 600,000 – nearly half of East Timor’s population
In his homily, Pope Francis said some people might think it is “naïve” to say that “nothing lasting is born or grows without love”.
However, the proof is in the city itself, he said, saying that “behind each of the works in front of us there are many stories of love to be discovered”, which he described as being found in communities and parents who provide for their families, and in the professionals and workers who are “sincerely engaged” in their various tasks.
“Sometimes the greatness and grandeur of our projects can make us forget this, and fool us into thinking that we can be the sole authors of our lives, of our wealth, our wellbeing, our happiness”, he said, adding that “ultimately, life brings us back to one reality: without love we are nothing”.
Faith is the source of this love, the Pope said, because God loved the world enough to sacrifice his only son to free and redeem humanity, and therefore: “It is in Christ that all that we are and can become have their origin and fulfilment.”
Beyond the masterpieces of architecture and innovation characteristic of Singapore, Pope Francis said the most beautiful aspects of society are “the brothers and sisters we meet, without discrimination, every day on our path, as we see in Singaporean society and [in] the Church, which are ethnically diverse and yet united and in solidarity”.
Genuine charity, the Pope said, is capable of respecting the vulnerable and weak, capable of accompanying those looking for direction in life, and it is also “generous and kind in forgiving beyond all calculation and measure”.
To this end, he pointed to the Virgin Mary, who “has given hope to so many people by her support and presence, which she continues to do”, and to Saint Francis Xavier, “who found hospitality here many times during his missionary journeys”.
Prior to Mass, Francis made a courtesy visit to Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and held a private meeting with the Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong.
On Friday 13 September, his last day in the country and of his tour, the Pope will hold a meeting with young people before heading to the airport and boarding his flight back to Rome.
Photo: Singaporean women pose for a photo, with one woman making a heart-shape with her hands, next to a poster of Pope Francis ahead of the holy mass at the National Stadium in Singapore, Singapore Island, 12 September 2024. (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMANROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images.)
The post Can a skyscraper represent love? Pope Francis says it can in Singapore appeared first on Catholic Herald.
