Pope Francis: "Seoul, Korea to Host the 2027 'World Youth Day'"

Up to 1 Million Attendees Expected
4th Papal Visit in History Anticipated to Boost Economy and Culture 'Special'

The next host city for the world-renowned Catholic event, the 'World Youth Day,' has been confirmed as Seoul, South Korea. In August 2027, tens to hundreds of thousands of Catholic youth are expected to visit Seoul.

Pope Francis announced on the 6th (local time) during the closing Mass of this year's World Youth Day held at Tejo Park in Lisbon, Portugal, that the next event in 2027 will be held in "Asia, Seoul, Korea."

On the 6th (local time), at the closing mass of this year's World Youth Day held at Tejo Park in Lisbon, Portugal, when Pope Francis announced Seoul as the host city for the 2027 event, Korean pilgrims and bishops cheered while holding the Taegeukgi flag on stage.
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

World Youth Day began when Pope John Paul II invited young people from around the world to St. Peter's Square in the Vatican in 1984 and 1985 to encourage their faith. Moved by the sight of young people gathering with passionate faith, Pope John Paul II proclaimed "World Youth Day" in December 1985, marking the start of the history of World Youth Day.

Since its first event in Rome, Italy in 1986, it has continued every 2 to 3 years as a festival where young people reflect on their faith and discuss social issues around the world.

Each event gathers millions of young people at the host location. The largest crowd was recorded in 1995 in the Philippines, where nearly 5 million people attended the closing Mass, setting a Guinness World Record for the largest papal gathering. This year’s Lisbon event attracted 2 million young participants. The Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul in South Korea expects about 700,000 to 1 million attendees in 2027, including 200,000 to 300,000 overseas participants.

All Korean Catholic figures united to secure the hosting rights. The Archdiocese of Seoul presented a vision to offer new life values and a place of comfort and reconciliation to Korean youth stressed by intense academic and employment competition. Archbishop Chung Soon-taek of Seoul, Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung, and Auxiliary Bishop Son Hee-song traveled to Lisbon on the 31st of last month to make final efforts for the bid. Cardinal You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, and Bishop Oh Hyun-joo, Apostolic Nuncio to Korea, also supported behind the scenes.

Given the large number of attendees, the economic impact is significant. Consulting firm PWC Portugal estimated the total added value from this year’s Lisbon event at 564 million euros (approximately 800 billion KRW). From a productive perspective, the effect is analyzed to be up to 1.1 billion euros (approximately 1.5 trillion KRW).

The significance of the papal visit is also great. If the Pope visits for this event, it will be the fourth papal visit to South Korea. Pope John Paul II visited twice in 1984 and 1989, and Pope Francis visited once in 2014. The Pope, who has expressed his intention to visit North Korea whenever possible, will come to South Korea to pray together for peace on the divided peninsula, adding deep meaning to the visit.

Archbishop Chung Soon-taek stated, "World Youth Day is not only an event for the Catholic Church but a gathering for all people of goodwill," and added, "We will prepare closely in cooperation with the government and local authorities to make it an event for the benefit of all humanity."

Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung said, "Especially for the peace of this land without war, I hope it will be a festival of love and joy where young people unite in prayer."

Speaker of the National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo congratulated on the 6th, saying, "It is a joyous occasion not only for Korean Catholics but for the entire nation," and added, "I hope the footsteps of the Pope and the world’s youth toward peace in Korea, a divided land, will become a great journey bringing the spring of peace to the Korean Peninsula."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.