SINGAPORE - The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore on April 15 warned of phishing scams that have arisen following the announcement that Pope Francis will visit the Republic.
It said in a statement on its website that it has received reports of misrepresentation, with people claiming to be associated with the ticketing process for the Papal Mass.
These people attempted to acquire the personal information of others, and the Archdiocese urged the public to remain vigilant and not fall prey to these scams.
“We strongly advise the public not to share personal information with any other websites or individuals claiming to offer tickets or information about the papal visit,” the statement said.
It added that the only legitimate sources of information related to Pope Francis’ visit between Sept 11 and Sept 13 are through the Archdiocese’s official websites. These websites are:
- www.popefrancis2024.sg
- www.catholic.sg
- www.mycatholic.sg
- www.catholicnews.sg
- www.catholicfoundation.sg
While details of the Papal Mass are being worked out, the Archdiocese said that tickets for all papal events will be free of charge, and subject to availability and venue constraints.
It is likely to take place on Sept 12, on the second day of Pope Francis’ visit.
This marks the second papal visit to Singapore, and is part of the Pope’s 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region.
Pope Francis will first stop at Jakarta in Indonesia from Sept 3 to Sept 6 before heading to Port Moresby and Vanimo in Papua New Guinea from Sept 6 to Sept 9, and then Dili in Timor-Leste from Sept 9 to Sept 11.
The last papal visit to Singapore was almost four decades ago, when the late Pope John Paul II drew thousands of Roman Catholics when he made a brief stopover in 1986 that lasted only five hours.
There are about 243,000 Roman Catholics in Singapore, according to the 2020 census.
