A total of 1,078 young people from the Archdiocese of Seoul, South Korea, have traveled to Rome to participate in the Jubilee of Youth.
They will join nearly half a million young pilgrims from around the world in visiting churches and shrines in Rome, as well as in Assisi, Milan, and Turin.
This marks the largest overseas pilgrimage group ever sent by a single South Korean diocese.
According to a press release from the Archdiocese of Seoul, a special pilgrimage initiative titled Project 1004 was launched to recruit participants for the jubilee and to prepare future leaders for World Youth Day 2027, which will be hosted in South Korea.
The project’s name, “1004” (cheon-sa), is a play on the Korean word that means both “angel” and the number 1,004.
On July 19, the archdiocese held a send-off ceremony for the delegates, where the youth pledged their love for one another and their commitment to becoming witnesses of hope. The ceremony was led by Bishop Kyung Sang Lee, general coordinator of the Seoul WYD Local Organizing Committee.
As part of Project 1004, Bishop Lee had spent the past six months, since October 2024, traveling across the archdiocese to promote the initiative and engage with young people.
While in Rome, the Seoul delegates will be accommodated in eight local offices and churches.
On July 31, they will gather at San Crisogono Church in Rome for a special Mass celebrated by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, Archbishop Emeritus of Seoul and titular cardinal of the church.
According to the Dicastery for Evangelization, a total of 370 churches, 400 school buildings, gyms, and family homes will welcome young pilgrims from about 146 countries.
“Essentially, this moment of celebration, this moment of joy, is also meant to offer them the embrace of all the young people from around the world, a gesture that symbolizes an authentic moment of peace and a step toward building peace in the world,” said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery.
The highlight of the week-long activities will be the prayer vigil on the evening of August 2 at Tor Vergata, the same site where World Youth Day 2000 was held.
Pope Leo XIV will join the vigil, during which three young people from Mexico, Italy, and the United States will each have the opportunity to ask the Holy Father a question.
Pope Leo XIV will also preside over the closing Mass of the Jubilee of Youth on August 3.
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