SEOUL, November 12 (AJP) -The Vatican and South Korea held a preparatory forum for the 2027 World Youth Day (WYD), which is expected to bring 500,000 young people from around the world to Seoul next summer, making the first time the Catholic Church’s largest youth celebration takes place in a country where Christians are a minority.
The Catholic Church’s largest international youth gathering will run from Aug. 3 to 8. Seoul will be its second Asian host after Manila in 1995.
Organizers expect about 400,000 participants from overseas and 100,000 from South Korea. Attendance could reach 1 million for the closing Mass led by Pope Leo XIV at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of the capital. The visit would be his first to South Korea as pontiff.
"Dear young people, I eagerly look forward to meeting you in Seoul," the pope said in a message released by the Vatican on Nov. 3.
He encouraged participants to bring their questions and personal wounds, along with those caused by divisions within societies and between nations.
The Rome forum, hosted by the South Korean Embassy to the Holy See at the Pontifical Urbaniana University, explored how the Seoul gathering could promote hope, peace and dialogue among young people from different backgrounds.
About 160 people, including Vatican officials, attended the event titled "2027 Seoul World Youth Day as a Global Festival of Hope." Discussions focused on the significance of holding the gathering on the divided Korean Peninsula.
"The Seoul gathering, taking place in a divided country, should proclaim disarmed peace to a wounded world," South Korean Ambassador to the Holy See Shin Hyung-sik said in his welcoming remarks.
He expressed hope that the forum and next year’s gathering would help young people navigate the challenges in their lives.
Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, praised the resilience of the Korean Catholic Church and its roots in the sacrifices of early Christian martyrs. Its enduring faith and vitality could inspire young Catholics worldwide, he said.
Bishop Paul Lee Kyung-sang, general coordinator of the WYD Seoul 2027 organizing committee, emphasized personal encounters and dialogue in his keynote address. He described the gathering as an opportunity to build friendships and recognize the dignity of others across differences in nationality, culture and background.
The forum’s three sessions also drew lessons from the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal. Speakers included Lee Sung-hoon, South Korea’s ambassador for human rights, peace and democracy, and Father Kim In-kook of the Catholic Priests’ Association for Justice.
Before the main Seoul gathering, pilgrims will join local communities in 15 dioceses across South Korea from July 29 to Aug. 2. Seoul World Cup Stadium will host major events, while the overnight prayer vigil and closing Mass are planned for Seoul Air Base.
Under the biblical theme "Take courage! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33), the program will combine religious celebrations, cultural exchanges and discussions on faith and the challenges facing young people.
South Korea is home to more than 6 million Catholics, according to the organizing committee. Although WYD is organized by the Catholic Church, people of other faiths and those with no religious affiliation are welcome.
Established by Pope John Paul II in 1985, World Youth Day held its first celebration in Rome in 1986. Registration for the Seoul gathering opened on Oct. 22.
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