By Vanitha Nadaraj
Soosai Soosai had about 80 eager Catholics signing up with his travel agency two months ago to go to Singapore, to attend the visiting Pope Francis’ Mass in the island nation.
However, half of them pulled out after learning that Malaysia’s some 1.5 million Catholics have to share just 900 seats allocated to them by Singapore archdiocese to attend the papal Mass.
Each of the nine dioceses in Malaysia was given 100 seats, regardless of the number of parishes and Catholics.
Organizers say seats are limited for the Sep 12 papal Mass at the Singapore National Stadium, which can accommodate 40,000 people.
Soosai (who keeps his father’s name as his second name) said most Catholics who signed up with him came from one parish — his Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Klang, about 40 kilometers west of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
Soosai said that in addition to the limited seats, security concerns also discourage people.
The security arrangements are expected to be tight because of a recent terror attack in Ulu Tiram in Malaysia, about 40 kilometers from Singapore.
The May 17 attacker, suspected to be a Jemaah Islamiyah member, killed two policemen and injured one.
Soosai said tight security formalities would be burdensome, particularly for aged people. Most of those who signed up with him are over 40, and one is over 70. They consider it their only chance to meet a pope.
Security arrangements would require people to arrive at the stadium early and leave only after a gap period, which might mean they spend six hours inside the stadium.
Soosai said some who signed up with him “have medical issues and would find it difficult to stay in the stadium for six hours,” he explained.
Families disappointed
Marie Tan from Petaling Jaya, a city outside Kuala Lumpur, wanted to attend the papal Mass with her 77-year-old mother but decided against it after hearing about the limited seats.
“Usually, people will want to go with family or friends, not alone,” said the 50-year-old Catholic.
She said “it is next to impossible” for her and her mother to get the only two seats offered to their St Ignatius parish in Kuala Lumpur archdiocese.
Her fellow parishioner Catherine Leong agreed.
“We were planning to go, but when we read that ticket numbers were limited, we gave up on the plan.”
Leong’s Singaporean friend told her that her chances of seeing the pope “up close” are slim when he moves around in his popemobile inside the stadium.
“The stadium in Singapore is tiered, and most likely, we would be seated higher up and would probably be watching the screen. Might as well watch the live telecast at home,” she said.
Daunting travel difficulties
Traveling to Singapore also discourages people. “Just imagine the traffic jam and getting back across the causeway” to the Malaysian city of Johor Bahru, 30 kilometers away, Soosai said.
The causeway connecting Malaysia and the city-state of Singapore “is notorious for traffic congestion,” he said.
Singapore is located at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula, separated by the Johor Strait. The Johor-Singapore Causeway is a kilometer-long bridge that connects both countries, combining a railway and motorway.
“Now, I am left with about 40 people” who can travel in a single bus to Singapore, Soosai said.
Those planning to go to Singapore know they may end up without a seat and have to follow the papal Mass live-streamed on the screens either outside the stadium or at some other venue near it.
“But they don’t mind. They are content to be in the same space as the pope,” Soosai told UCA News.
Once-a-life opportunity
Anna Teresa Peter Amandus from the Diocese of Sandakan in Malaysia said: “For us, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event to see the pope,” she told UCA News.
Sandakan diocese lies on the south-eastern coast of Sabah in Borneo and has some 64,000 Catholics spread over five parishes and one mission station, said Amandus, diocesan pastoral administrator.
Amandus said they might not be able to see Francis “face to face,” but “seeing him from afar will be a blessing to each of us.”
Sandakan diocese has 100 seats, but only 68 were filled, and they are mostly aged 50 and above.
“Many people wanted to attend, but unfortunately, the Mass date coincides with a diocesan program planned since last year,” she explained.
Another barrier is the high travel cost. Those going from Sabah to Singapore must fly and make their own travel arrangements.
Amandus, the official diocesan representative and trip coordinator, said they have created a social media group to share important information regarding the papal Mass among the diocesan contingent.
She added that the contingent plans to have a spiritual preparation session before heading to Singapore.
‘All clerics welcome’
Some Catholics in Malaysia have different plans, including registering with the Archdiocese of Singapore to overcome the limited seat allocation for the Malaysian laity.
One such person is Angeline Lee from Our Lady of Fatima Church in Kuala Lumpur.
“My focus is to see Pope Francis, although I met him while volunteering at two World Youth Day events in Rio De Janeiro in 2013 and Krakow in 2016,” she told UCA News.
“It will be hard to get a seat. But I remain hopeful. I’m praying earnestly, fasting, and serving the Lord by playing the keyboard,” said the 52-year-old, active in her parish.
Lee will join about 40 others who plan to travel by bus to Singapore for the papal visit. They belong to different parishes of Kuala Lumpur archdiocese.
Monsignor Patrick Boudville, who coordinates the seat distribution in Kuala Lumpur archdiocese, said each parish can send two people to the Singapore Mass.
The archdiocese has some 260,000 Catholics in 35 parishes.
The rest of the 30 seats will be distributed equally — 15 for religious people and 15 for differently abled people in the archdiocese.
He said that the take-up by the religious was poor but did not give reasons for it.
Sources said the Singapore archdiocese has invited all Malaysian clergy, with no quota restrictions. However, it’s not yet known how many plan to go.
UCA News spoke to two priests in Kuala Lumpur who said they were not going to Singapore. One said he had met the pope, and the other did not specify any reason.
Francis is scheduled to be in Singapore from Sep 11 to 13, the last leg of his four-nation tour of Asia-Pacific. He will also visit Indonesia (Sep 3-6), Papua New Guinea (Sep 6-9), and Timor-Leste (Sep 9-11). – UCA News
