Pope Francis: How Singapore prepared for the historic visit

Singapore’s grandest arena, which has hosted Taylor Swift and Madonna, is getting ready to welcome an arguably bigger icon – Pope Francis.

The pontiff will celebrate Mass with 50,000 people at the National Stadium on Thursday evening, packing the venue as his 12-day Asia-Pacific tour draws to a close.

The 87-year-old has been to Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea – the visit to the Pacific Island, one of the most Roman Catholic places on Earth, was the furthest he has travelled to meet devotees.

He arrived in Singapore, where less than 10% of the population – around 400,000 people – identify as Catholic, on Wednesday afternoon. The three-day visit includes meetings with government officials, religious leaders and students.

This has been the longest foreign visit of his papacy and given his frail health, volunteers say the visit was unimaginable just a year ago. A spell of illness at the time had made overseas travel difficult, forcing him to cancel a trip to the UAE.

“Since we were told that he was coming [to Singapore], we’ve been praying,” says Karen Cheah, one of 5,000 volunteers who have been recruited for duties ranging from singing in the choir during Mass to protecting the Pope.

“Once he got on the plane and visited the other countries, the reality hit that it’s coming up: we are next.”

Hosting the Pope for even a single evening – as the stadium will – is no small feat.

It is a hive of activity the day before Mass. The pitch is covered with rubber flooring. The rows of chairs are growing as workers unload more of them.

At the other end of the arena, the choir is rehearsing hymns at full volume under the close watch of directors, the sound clashing with the routines being practised by the hosts of the event.