Cardinal Farrell in Seoul: “The pilgrimage that will culminate in August 2027 begins today”

© WYD Seoul 2027 LOC

Once again this year, as is customary ahead of an international World Youth Day, some 300 delegates from over 100 countries – representing episcopal conferences, movements and international associations – have gathered for the Iinternational Preparatory Meeting for the World Youth Day to be held in Seoul in 2027.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, opened the International Preparatory Meeting today, 14 September, in Seoul/Incheon. Following the opening address by the Archbishop of Seoul, His Excellency Bishop Peter Chung Soon-taek, and in the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio to Korea, His Excellency Monsignor Giovanni Gaspari, Farrell expressed his gratitude to the Archdiocese of Seoul for its hospitality, recalling that since the 18th century the Catholic faith in Korea has flourished thanks to a genuine search for truth by Korean scholars.

Korea: a history of faith that becomes courage, community and fidelity

The early Korean Christians, said the Prefect of the Dicastery, discovered that a new way of life and a new way of viewing the human person were possible, thanks to the reading and study of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the history of the Korean Church, today’s young people can rediscover the courage of witness and service, and the depth of self-giving and the defence of human dignity.

The Cardinal then reminded the delegates that whilst the roots of the World Youth Day in Seoul lie in its history of evangelisation and persecution, the fruits will be those that come about through the presence of young people from all over the world, who will bring with them different languages and cultures, as one family in Christ, to listen to the Word of God and live it out in their daily lives.

An invitation to the local Churches: to foster a living experience of faith and encounter

From this point, the Prefect of the Dicastery extended an invitation to the delegates present to prepare for a pilgrimage that will culminate in August 2027: preparations in dioceses and parishes across the world begin now. It is not, Cardinal Farrell continued, simply a journey or a week-long experience. World Youth Day is a time to be together and to live out the faith as one Church. It is a time to prepare souls and to encourage all Christians in their communities, homes and families to live out the faith. And this pilgrimage will ultimately reach its climax in Seoul.

The legacy of 40 years of WYD: Youth leadership, proclamation, service, creativity

The first session of the day was then devoted entirely to the theme of the legacy inherited from these first 40 years of WYD.

During a panel discussion dedicated to this important celebration, Cardinal Américo Manuel Alves Aguiar, Bishop of Setúbal and former General Coordinator of WYD Lisbon 2023, posed the following question to those present: “Three years on from WYD Lisbon, what remains?”. The Cardinal said: “I inevitably think of the volunteers. They were not merely the ones who made the Day possible. They were the event itself!’ Thanks to them, in fact, the beauty of service, witness, conversion and the joy of faith were experienced.

Fr. João Chagas, former head of the Youth Area of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, offered a profound and detailed theological-pastoral reflection following 40 years of World Youth Day. “We must never forget that at the very heart of the World Youth Day pastoral project lies the ‘great proclamation’ for all young people, which, whatever the circumstances, must never be silenced and which encompasses three great truths that we all need to hear again and again: God loves me! Only in Him I do find salvation! He is alive, and wishes to give me life in abundance through His Spirit!”

Victor Chang, former Secretary of World Youth Day Panama 2019, gave his testimony on how a small country can organise and host one of the world’s largest events and the Catholic Church’s greatest gathering: “World Youth Day had to be embraced as a mission for the whole Church and, in a sense, for the whole country. This was the first great lesson: the size of a country does not determine the magnitude of the mission it can fulfil. Panama did not have all the answers or all the resources. But it had something fundamental: a willingness to serve.”

At the end of the panel, the International Youth Advisory Board (IYAB) introduced itself to the delegates. Their presence brought to life the journey undertaken over these forty years – a journey of creativity faithful to the history of World Youth Day, rooted in the encounter with Christ in every context, and drawing inspiration from the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Christus Vivit to continue living the World Youth Day experience today and in the future.

The second part of the day: group work and information provided by the LOC

The sessions on the first day continued with an important period of group work, in a synodal style, organised by the Local Organising Committee (LOC), to bring out the questions and suggestions from the delegates.

To round off the first day, a cultural evening entitled ‘K-Culture Night’ took place, showcasing the beauty and richness of Korea’s millennia-old history, as well as the depth of faith born of martyrdom and the challenges of contemporary society, through a blend of traditional music and dance alongside K-pop-style performances.

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The international preparatory meeting for World Youth Day, which is taking place in Incheon, Seoul, from 14 to 17 September, is organised by the Local Organising Committee for World Youth Day in Seoul in collaboration with the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, the Vatican body responsible for organising World Youth Days.

The meeting aims to provide an update on the state of preparations for the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day, sharing with delegates from around the world the culture and identity of the country and city that will host the next World Youth Day with the Pope.

The International Meeting always takes place in two stages: the first after each WYD, in Rome, to mark the conclusion of the event and launch the next one; and the second, approximately one year before each WYD, in the country where the event will take place.

The next international WYD, the 41st World Youth Day, will be held in Seoul from 3 to 8 August 2027. From 29 July to 2 August 2027, young people are invited to the ‘Diocesan Days’ in the 15 dioceses of South Korea (excluding the Archdiocese of Seoul).

The national edition, also part of the 41st World Youth Day, will take place, as it does every year, on the Solemnity of Christ the King, which this year falls on Sunday 22 November 2026.