SINGAPORE: Pope Francis held mass and made a plea for migrant workers to be paid fairly as he visited the affluent city-state of Singapore on Thursday on the last stop of his marathon Asia-Pacific tour.

The 87-year-old pontiff said “special attention” should be paid to “protecting the dignity of migrant workers” in an address to political leaders and dignitaries. “These workers contribute a great deal to society and should be guaranteed a fair wage,” he said.

There are an estimated 170 million migrant workers around the world. Most live in the Americas or Europe-Central Asia. Cheap labour has been instrumental in the rapid growth of gleaming metropolises such as Dubai, Doha and Singapore — the fourth stop on the pope’s Asia tour.

About 300,000 low-wage migrant workers are estimated to work in Singapore. Many flock from South Asia and from the Philippines, which has a large and devout Catholic majority.

Advocates say they are often exploited and endure poor living conditions, including forced dormitory lock-downs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I’m so happy that the pope has chosen to speak on this topic,” a 34-year-old Filipina domestic helper told AFP, asking not to be identified because she did not have permission from her employer.

“Even if they don’t raise my salary, I’m still happy to know that the pope himself is fighting and praying for us,” she said.

The woman said she earned US$460 a month in a nation where, according to Ministry for Manpower statistics, the median gross income is US$3,985.

The pope did not refer to workers in Singapore explicitly. However, his comments are likely to cause unease for a government which denies widespread abuse and is fiercely protective of its image.