The presentation was made today at a press conference in the Vatican attended by the Archbishop of the Korean capital. On November 24, the Cross will be presented at St. Peter’s, which accompanies the meetings of the young people with the Pope. Bishop Chung spoke about the possibility of young people from Pyongyang being present: “We very much wish to be able to invite them. But the current political situation does not favor it.”
Vatican City () – The theme of the World Youth Day to be held in Seoul in 2027 will be “Take courage, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33), it was announced today at a conference in the Vatican during which the logo of the event was also presented. More than thirty years after the WYD in Manila in 1995, it is bringing back to Asia the great meeting of young people from all over the world with the Pope. The logo consists of a stylised red and blue cross – whose design is inspired by traditional Korean art and incorporates the Hangul characters for Seoul – on a yellow circle representing Christ, the Light of the World.
Present at today’s press conference were Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, Archbishop of the Korean capital, Msgr. Peter Chung Soon-Taick, his auxiliary bishop Paul Lee Kyung Sang, general coordinator of WYD 2027, and Gabriela Kim Su-Ji, a young Korean woman, along with Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. The topic of the Seoul meeting was also discussed during the ad limina visit of the Korean bishops to the Vatican in recent days. And on the horizon there is a first imminent date: on 24 November – the Solemnity of Christ the King, the day on which the Church will celebrate World Youth Day 2024 in all the dioceses – the Youth Cross and the icon of Mary Salus populi romani, which have accompanied every WYD for 40 years, will be handed over to the Archdiocese of Seoul in St. Peter’s Basilica, in the presence of the Pope. Both symbols will be handed over, in an ideal relay pass, by the young people of Lisbon, where the last international meeting was held in 2023.
“WYD Seoul 2027 will be more than just a rally,” said Mgr Chung. “It will be a meaningful journey in which young people, united with Jesus Christ, will reflect and discuss modern challenges and injustices they face. It will be a great celebration that will allow everyone to experience the vibrant and energetic culture created by Korean youth. On this collective journey, WYD pilgrims will become ‘courageous missionaries’, inspired to live the joy of the Gospel they have found.”
“The World Youth Day in Korea will be the first in a country that does not have a Christian majority,” the Archbishop of Seoul recalled. “Today, 50% of the Korean population does not identify with any religion, 20% are Buddhists, 11% are Catholics, and almost 20% are Protestants. We will work to include people from all groups in this religious spectrum.” For his part, Cardinal Farrell noted that “the dynamic Asian context will make young people reflect on the dialogue between faith and modernity, in the midst of the global challenges they face today. We think of the loss of meaning that often characterizes life in the most developed societies, the digital revolution, the climate crisis, and economic inequalities.”
As for the possibility that the World Youth Day in Seoul could be an opportunity to fulfil Pope Francis’s previous wish to visit North Korea, the prefect of the Vatican dicastery that is promoting the event replied that he had “no idea” at the time. “It depends on an invitation from Pyongyang. As long as it does not make one, it is a hypothesis that we are not working on.” There are also great difficulties for young people living in North Korea to be able to attend the World Youth Day. “We really want to invite them,” said Mgr Chung, who as archbishop of Seoul is also apostolic administrator of the North Korean capital. “But at the moment, both the international situation and the political relations between Seoul and Pyongyang do not favour that possibility.”
However, recalled Msgr. Lee, “in a reality of a ‘divided nation’, over the past seven decades the Church has worked diligently to resolve the conflicts inherent in this division, seeking peace and unity for the Korean people. Our young people remain open to interreligious dialogue and aspire to harmonious and peaceful coexistence.” The coordinating bishop of WYD also added that, in its preparation, the Korean Church plans to bring 1,000 young people to Rome on the occasion of the Jubilee that will take place next summer.
Gabriela Kim Su-Ji, who had already participated in the Synod of Youth in 2018, recalled the difficulties that young people in Korea also experienced due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “Now that we can meet again,” she explained, “we must face the challenge of a dispersed flock, which has great difficulty in transmitting the experience of faith. But I am confident that WYD Seoul 2027 will provide a crucial opportunity to rekindle this flame, not only in Korea but also throughout the world.”
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