A young man from South Korea waves his country's flag before Pope Francis arrives for the closing Mass of World Youth Day at Tejo Park in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 6, 2023. At the end of Mass, the pope announced the next WYD will be held in Seoul, South Korea, in 2027. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
The first World Youth Day to be hosted in a country where Christians are a minority will seek to instill young people with the courage to share the Gospel while fostering interreligious dialogue, organizers of the event said.
World Youth Day 2027, to be hosted in Seoul, South Korea, will help young people "think about the dialogue between faith and modernity," Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life said at a news conference Sept. 24.
The challenges young people face today -- a loss of purpose, climate change, the digital revolution and economic inequality -- "will stimulate young people to make their personal contribution so that contemporary culture may be permeated and transformed by the Gospel, with its power, light and freshness," the cardinal said.
And in Asia, a continent "receptive to the coexistence of cultures, dialogue and complementarity," the cardinal said young pilgrims will advance "on their path of learning to become messengers of peace in the world so torn by conflict and confrontation."
At the closing Mass for World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal -- attended by an estimated 1.5 million young people -- Pope Francis announced that Seoul will be the host for the next World Youth Day in 2027, following a celebration of young people at the Vatican during the Holy Year 2025.
"Thus, from the western border of Europe it will move to the Far East," the pope said in his announcement. "This is a marvelous sign of the church's universality and of the dream of unity to which you bear witness."
World Youth Day has been hosted in Asia only once before -- World Youth Day 1995 was held in Manila, Philippines.
The Vatican announced Sept. 24 the themes for the church's upcoming celebrations of young people, both taken from St. John's Gospel: the Jubilee of the Youth, to be held in Rome in 2025, will have the theme "You also are my witnesses, because you have been with me," and the theme for World Youth Day 2027 will be "Take courage! I have overcome the world."
Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-Taick of Seoul said that World Youth Day pilgrims will become "courageous missionaries inspired to live out the joy of the Gospel they have found."
World Youth Day 2027 "will be more than just a large gathering," he said at the Vatican news conference. "It will be a meaningful journey where young people, united with Jesus Christ, reflect on and discuss the modern challenges and injustices they face."
However, "Korea stands in a unique context distinct from previous World Youth Day hosts," said Seoul Auxiliary Bishop Paul Kyung Sang Lee, coordinator of World Youth Day 2027, since the country is "characterized by the harmonious coexistence of diverse religious traditions."
"Within this environment, the Catholic Church of Korea has steadfastly embodied the Christian virtues of forgiveness and sharing, fostering these values in society while coexisting peacefully with other faiths," he said.
According to the Pew Research Center, 52% of South Koreans have no religious affiliation, 32% are Christian and 14% are Buddhist. Vatican statistics say Catholics make up 11.3% of South Korea's population of 51.6 million people.
Archbishop Chung said the preparatory process "will definitely have concrete plans to include people from different religious backgrounds, including those who have no religion, so that they can come together and join us during our preparatory process."
During World Youth Day 2023, a number of interreligious events were offered to participants, such as guided tours of mosques and Hindu temples in Lisbon.
Cardinal Farrell said that Pope Francis wanted to select Seoul as the host for World Youth Day 2027 because "the pope wants to break out to the whole world."
"There's too much conflict, there's too much division among us all, and the Holy Father would like to bring us into dialogue with each other," he said. "Not to convert people, but to prove and to show that we can all live together respecting each other's beliefs, respecting the authentic culture of each place."
Despite South Korea's geographic distance from countries with large Catholic populations, the cardinal said the number of the attendees at World Youth Day 2023 was nearly double the number estimated by organizers.
"I believe there will be a similar surge of visitors and young people to World Youth Day in Seoul," he said. "It may be very far, but it's not far in today's world."