During his state address on Sept 12, the 87-year-old Argentinian pontiff said: “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.”
The head of state of Vatican City also called for special attention to be paid to the poor and the elderly, and to protect the dignity of migrant workers.
“These workers contribute a great deal to society and should be guaranteed a fair wage,” the Pope said.
Dr Gillian Koh, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, noted that the Pope appeared to be saying that while Singapore is doing well, it could do even better.
She told The Straits Times: “The Pope recognised that social justice and serving the common good are held in high regard here, and undergird core government policies and have translated into successful development.
“But he also recognised on the other hand that pragmatism and meritocracy could tempt us to marginalise those who may not seem to do well by such rational and natural measures of value, or ‘deservedness’.”
Former foreign minister George Yeo, who once sat on the Vatican’s new Council for the Economy, said Pope Francis delivered some “sharp and perceptive” points in his address, the chief being that society should never take its sight off the marginalised.
“It is so easy to improve our daily lives to pursue advancement and efficiency, and in the process forgetting that there are many among us who are in need of help, not just through charity, but in terms of solidarity and fraternity,” Mr Yeo told ST before the papal mass at the National Stadium on Sept 12.
The point about migrant workers and the importance of treating them with dignity also stood out for him. He said: “That’s very important because there are so many foreigners living among us.”
Reflecting on the point about fair wages, Mr Yeo said the Pope does not seem to be giving an economic prescription, but was saying that people should be treated as human beings and not merely as commodities to be traded. “If we are mindful of that, then what we do would be reasonable and fair,” he said.
The state address was also the Pope’s way of reminding Singapore “not to let national interests override everything”, Mr Yeo added.