While in Singapore, Pope Francis stayed in a converted meeting room in a former seminary in Punggol.

There, after the first night of his three-day visit, he was greeted by well-wishers who showed up as early as 6:30am.

A Sep. 16 media tour revealed the pontiff's relatively humble lodgings at the St Francis Xavier Retreat Centre, reported The Straits Times.

The largest pieces of furniture were a wooden bed, a desk with a bottle of Acqua Panna mineral water, a straight-backed chair, and a small shrine.

He also made no special requests apart from a fridge for gelato, said the centre's property manager Helen Seah.

"He loves ice cream. We had a mini fridge, but we needed a bigger one for the freezer," she told media. A fridge was subsequently borrowed and stocked with store-bought tubs.

Seah declined to share what flavours he'd requested, only revealing that a few flavours had been provided.

Two tubs had also been left behind.

Valerie Siew, spokesperson for the papal visit organising committee, said the Pope had chosen the centre "because it is a simple place".

"In line with his humble nature, you could say this is a humble abode."

Items preserved

ST also reported that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore will archive some of the items used by the pontiff during his visit here.

They include the vestments he wore for the Sep. 12 mass — which had been previously blessed in advance of his visit — and a booklet he used.

The items will be assessed by archivists and stored in temperature- and humidity-controlled rooms, Siew said.

They would then become relics — or sacred mementoes — if the Pope is canonised after his death, as some of his predecessors have been.

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