Pope heads to economic power Singapore after a joyous visit to impoverished, devout East Timor

DILI, East Timor (AP) — Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, heading to one of the world’s richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor.

After a brief farewell ceremony, Francis, the Vatican delegation and journalists traveling with him flew to Singapore aboard local carrier Aero Dili’s only aircraft, an Airbus A320.

Francis wrapped up his visit to East Timor with a rally Wednesday morning of its young people, who make up the majority of the 1.3 million population. He urged them to work together to build their young country, using the foundations of older generations who secured their independence from Indonesia, to grow in peace, prosperity and reconciliation.

“Go forward with the happiness of youth, but don’t forget one thing,” Francis told them. “You are the heirs of those who persevered in founding this nation. For this, don’t lose your memory, the memory of those who persevered with so much sacrifice to consolidate this nation.”

The 87-year-old pope, who is on the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate, ditched his prepared remarks to speak off the cuff in his native Spanish, as he often does when he’s around young people.

The joyous encounter came just hours after some 600,000 people — or nearly half the population — packed a seaside park for Francis’ Mass. It was held on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed 35 years ago, when East Timor was under brutally oppressive Indonesian rule.

Francis came to East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, to encourage it 20 years after it secured independence as it struggles with poverty and high unemployment.

In final, off-the-cuff remarks at the end of the liturgy, Francis