The John Paul II Youth Foundation towards WYD Seoul 2027

Foto: Stefan Okungbowa

A concert evening promoted by the John Paul II Youth Foundation, an instrumental body of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, organised together with the Hungarian Academy in Rome and the Hungarian Pontifical Ecclesiastical Institute, took place on 21 November at the Hungarian Academy in Rome to present the Foundation's activities on the theme: "Youth, Church, Hope. Encounter in Music: towards WYD Seoul 2027‘.

The Wiener Mozart Orkester, conducted by Maestro Vinicius Kattah, performed on the theme ’Truth, Love and Peace", accompanied by soprano Cinzia Zanovello, performing pieces from the classical tradition of some countries that have hosted World Youth Days in the past. Accompanied on their musical journey by Italian presenter Lorena Bianchetti, the musicians were introduced by Dr Krisztina Lantos, Advisor to the Hungarian Minister of Innovation and Culture, and Rev. Father Andras Törö, Rector of the Pontifical Hungarian Ecclesiastical Institute, who welcomed the approximately 150 guests to Palazzo Falconieri, home of the Hungarian Academy in Rome.

De Paula Souza: strengthening the commitment to collaborate ever more closely with the Holy Father in promoting young people and their mission in the world

Dr Gleison De Paula Souza, Secretary of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, greeted the guests by recalling the importance of World Youth Days for the Catholic Church and for young people. It is important, said the Secretary, ‘to strengthen in ourselves the desire and commitment to collaborate ever more closely with the Holy Father in promoting young people and their mission in the world, reaching out to all young people in the world - without exception - because they are in the heart of God and therefore also in the heart of the Church.’

The conclusion of the evening was entrusted to the President of the John Paul II  Youth Foundation, Dr. Daniele Bruno, who wanted to emphasise that ‘It is significant – and not coincidental – that we are here on the occasion of the upcoming WYD at the diocesan level, which will be celebrated next Sunday, the Solemnity of Christ the King, with the theme “You also bear witness, because you are with me”’, and furthermore, ‘our activity is functional, yes, to support the Youth Area of the Dicastery, but also, if not above all, to follow a path that bears witness: and this very evening is a testimony of how, together, people belonging to different worlds (the Roman Curia, society, institutions and associations, movements and people of civil society) can try to build a better future.’

The Foundation's activities: meeting in Seoul and academic research on the crucial issues of peace, care for creation, technology and economics

The President was also entrusted with the task of presenting the Foundation's activities to the guests: from those carried out recently (for example, the Foundation's participation in the latest edition of the Festival of Diplomacy) to those already underway or planned for the near future, such as the preparation of the Foundation's 5th Conference as part of World Youth Day in Seoul, the ongoing collaboration with the network of Catholic universities in the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities (SACRU) (which involves nine Catholic universities on five continents) and with the Catholic University of Korea on a research project with students on the themes of fraternity, applied to various areas such as peace, care for creation, technology and economics, and others, with the aim of making the meeting in Seoul a stage in a journey undertaken together with young people.

The guests, representatives of the Vatican and Italian institutions, businesses and Catholic associations, participated actively, motivated by a common desire to promote youth ministry and to give concrete support to the Universal Church in its mission.

Among the guests were H.E. Ms Maria Amélia Maio de Paiva, Ambassador of Portugal to the Holy See, and H.E. Hyung-sik SHIN, Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Korea to the Holy See, symbolically representing the transition of World Youth Day from Lisbon to Seoul, as well as Reverend Father Jun-Gyu CHOI, President of the Catholic University of Korea.