“Around 1,000 young Koreans are expected to travel to Rome in 2025 for the Jubilee of Youth,” Archbishop Peter Soon-Taick Chung, OCD, of Seoul said at the Sept. 24 press conference. The hope is “that through this pilgrimage, they will come to discern the empowering force of hope bestowed by faith and experience a profound personal encounter with Christ within the universal Church,” he said.
First WYD in predominantly non-Christian country
The archbishop of Seoul said WYD 2027 will be the first of these gatherings to take place in a predominantly non-Christian country.
South Korea has nearly 6 million Catholics, just 11% of the total population, according to 2022 statistics from the country’s Catholic bishops’ conference.
A 2020 survey by a Korean research journal tracking recent religious demographic changes in the country found that now about 50% of South Koreans are nonreligious, while 32% are Protestant Christians and 16% are Buddhist.
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“We definitely have concrete plans to include people from different religious backgrounds — and those who have no religion — to come together during our preparatory process,” the archbishop said.
Bishop Paul Kyung Sang Lee, an auxiliary bishop of Seoul and the general coordinator for WYD Seoul 2027, said Korea has a unique context from past WYD hosts, where the country was mainly Christian, because the Catholic Church in Korea is “characterized by the harmonious coexistence of diverse religious traditions.”
“Amid the persistent reality as a ‘divided nation,’ the Church has diligently worked to resolve the conflicts inherent in this division over the past seven decades, seeking peace and unity for the Korean people,” he said.
Soon-Taick said young North Koreans will be invited to and welcome at World Youth Day in Seoul, though the current political situation is unfortunately not favorable for their attendance. “Certainly we hope,” he said.
Whether Pope Francis will attend the international youth gathering is unknown at this time, and whether a visit to the country would include a stop in North Korea is dependent on an invitation from North Korea’s local leaders, Farrell explained.
Pope Francis visited South Korea in 2014. During the five-day trip, he beatified 124 Korean martyrs and took part in the sixth Asian Youth Day.
Charism of the Catholic Church in Korea
“The Korean Catholic Church stands as a testament to the voluntary and dynamic faith of its first believers, who embraced the seeds of the Gospel without the assistance of missionaries, guided by the Holy Spirit,” Soon-Taick said.
He added that “the pilgrimage of WYD Seoul 2027 will be more than just a large gathering. It will be a meaningful journey where young people, united with Jesus Christ, reflect on and discuss the modern challenges and injustices they face.”
“It will be a grand celebration, allowing everyone to experience the vibrant and energetic culture created by Korean youth,” he continued. “It will also be an opportunity to immerse in and share the dynamic and passionate culture that Korea’s youth have created.”
While organizers declined to give a number for an expected attendance at the South Korea World Youth Day, Farrell noted that attendance at World Youth Day in Lisbon in 2023 exceeded expectations.
He said they planned for approximately 750,000 participants but were unprepared for the estimated 1.5 million young people who ended up attending.
“I believe that there will be a similar surge of visitors and young people to World Youth Day in Seoul,” the cardinal said.
Hannah Brockhaus is Catholic News Agency's senior Rome correspondent. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and has a degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri.
