From Dili to Singapore. What a culture shock. What a poignant experience to touch with hand the two faces of our increasingly polarized world, marked by injustice and inequality that, as Pope Francis never tires of reminding us, lead to forced migration, exploitation, hatred, conflict.

During the journey to Singapore, one of the wealthiest commercial, economic and financial hubs in the world, we rubbed shoulders with Indonesians trying to keep the delicate social fabric of an extremely diverse nation together; with the all-but-forgotten peoples in remote areas of Papua New Guinea where many still live with no electricity or running water; and with the people of Timor-Leste, struggling to overcome decades of colonization, invasion and poverty.

The journey's itinerary has powerfully highlighted so many of the issues the Pope continues to bring to the attention of the international arena with the urgency of one who may feel that time is running out.

In pluralistic and diverse Indonesia, he underscored the need for a firm commitment to continue to promote and sustain interreligious dialogue to counter conflict and division.

In remote Papua New Guinea, where the rising ocean increasingly threatens the houses of missionary sisters, he raised the urgent call to come together to protect our common home.

In the young state of Timor-Leste, where 60 per cent of the population is under 35, he emphasized the need to empower young people and give them the tools to build a future of peace.

And what about Singapore? Well, the Pope observed, the fact that Singapore has “access to capital, technology and talent” that puts it at the forefront of sustainable development and innovative solutions, means that it has a responsibility to continue to work “in the favour of humanity and the common good of all peoples and all nations.”

However, he warned, “in a way that does not exclude others or is restricted to national interests.”  

Perhaps this is the key as we try to elaborate the myriad of messages and impressions of the journey about to end: those who have the means, like Singapore, “a shining example of what humanity can achieve by working together in harmony”, are ever more urgently called to do so with a “spirit of inclusiveness and fraternity,” as men and women across the globe strive to “build a world in which the common good is held in high regard” - before it is too late.