Pope marvels at Singapore's skyscrapers and asks that the lowest migrant workers not be forgotten

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. - Photo: AP

SINGAPORE: (AP) Pope Francis on Thursday (Sept 12) 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.