The next World Youth Day (WYD) in Seoul, South Korea, will be held from August 3 to 8, 2027, Pope Leo XIV announced on August 3.
The declaration of the dates was made at the concluding Mass of the Jubilee of Youth in Rome. More than a million young pilgrims attended a weeklong celebration of faith in Rome. The pope officiated the grand finale Mass at Tor Vergata.
“After this jubilee, the ‘pilgrimage of hope’ of young people continues and will take us to Asia,” the pope said in a message, before praying the Angelus at Tor Vergata field, 10 miles east of Rome.
“I renew the invitation that Pope Francis extended in Lisbon two years ago,” he added, referring to WYD in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2023.
The theme of the next WYD is drawn from the Gospel of John, the verse recalling Jesus’ words to his disciples at the Last Supper: “Take courage! I have overcome the world.”
“It is precisely the hope that dwells in our hearts that gives us the strength to proclaim the victory of the risen Christ over evil and death,” the Holy Father said.
“And you, young pilgrims of hope, will be witnesses of this to the ends of the earth! I look forward to seeing you in Seoul: let us continue to dream together and to hope together,” he added.
The Philippines was the first country to host World Youth Day in 1995 in Asia, and now South Korea will be the second Asian country to do so.
The papal Mass in Manila in 1995 was said to have brought over 5 million people, which was a record for the event.
According to the 2022 data from South Korea’s Catholic bishops' conference, there are around 6 million Catholics in the country, which is about 11% of the population.
The Archdiocese of Seoul hopes that between 700,000 and 1 million people could come to the event in 2027, with 200,000 to 300,000 of them being overseas pilgrims.
The Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life is the main organizer of the event along with the host country.
According to Vatican News, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, has already begun sending invitations to formators, youth ministry offices, bishops, and youth delegates to attend WYD in South Korea.
Thousands of Asian youth delegations, bishops, priests, and nuns are expected to participate in WYD in South Korea.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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