Korean Delegation Visits Cambodia to Promote WYD 2027

A delegation from the Korean Youth Commission is visiting several Catholic institutions and churches in Cambodia to encourage participation in World Youth Day (WYD) 2027, scheduled to take place in Seoul, South Korea.

Father Paul Lai from the Catholic community of South Kampong Cham, accompanied by Father Se Sat, Father Yen, and representatives from the Youth Office of South Kompong Cham, was invited to lead the Korean delegation during World Youth Congress Day.

The group visited Phern High School, Kampong Cham Branch, and was later escorted to the SaintJoseph Catholic Community in Keo Sima.

The South Korean delegation also visited Catholic families and interacted with youth in local Catholic communities.

For the first time, World Youth Day will be held in mainland East Asia in 2027. Pope Francis announced the venue following the closing Mass of World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal.

The event in Korea will be the first WYD hosted in a Christian-minority nation and the first in Asia since 1995, when it was held in Manila, Philippines.

The theme is: "Take Courage! I Have Overcome the World."

The Archdiocese of Seoul has already hosted a major youth festival as a prelude and preparation for the 2027 event.

South Korea's religious diversity presents a unique opportunity to foster interreligious understanding and communication. The event is expected to inspire young people to evangelize through their lives and witness, and to find courage in their faith.

Less than 1% of Cambodia’s estimated 18 million people identify as Catholic, making them a small minority in this Buddhist-majority country.

The Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh, the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang, and the Apostolic Prefecture of Kampong Cham make up the three ecclesiastical jurisdictions of the Catholic Church in Cambodia.