WYD Seoul 2027: Second International Preparatory Meeting Concludes in Korea

Group photo at Jeoldusan Martyrs's Shrine, Sept. 16 © WYD Seoul 2027 LOC

The Second International Preparatory Meeting for World Youth Day Seoul 2027 concluded on September 17, sending about delegates from more than 100 countries home with the information, tools and contacts they will need to begin recruiting and preparing pilgrims for next year’s gathering.

Over four days, participants were introduced to the online registration system and pilgrim app, the structure of the Days in the Dioceses and the main events in Seoul, and the practical journey pilgrims will make from their arrival in Korea through their participation in the program. With the meeting concluded, much of that work now passes to local Churches around the world.

Held from September 14 to 17, the Meeting brought together more than 400 participants, including about 300 representatives of more than 160 dioceses, religious congregations and ecclesial movements from over 100 countries, as well as about 100 staff and volunteers from the WYD Seoul 2027 Local Organizing Committee (LOC). It was jointly organized by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life and the LOC.

Bishop Paul Kyung-sang Lee, General Coordinator of the LOC, presided over the closing Mass on September 17 and told delegates that they were returning home with a mission: to share the love of God they had experienced in Korea.

“Before anything else, young people need to discover that they are loved — loved by God, loved by the Church, and welcomed as they are,” Bishop Lee said. Recalling remarks made earlier in the week by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, he said World Youth Day “is not a lecture” but “an encounter,” one that “becomes possible only when our hearts are open.”

He ended by giving participants what he described as the homework of the four days. “When you return to your countries, dioceses, communities, share what you have received here,” he said. “And next summer, bring that same open heart with you to Seoul.”

What delegates took home: from a broad vision to a practical preparation

The meeting was designed to move from broad vision to practical preparation.

Sessions outlined the registration process and the digital systems supporting it, including live demonstrations of the online registration platform and pilgrim app. Others explained how the Days in the Dioceses and the main events in Seoul will be organized, traced the pilgrim experience from entry into Korea to participation in the program, and examined the pastoral meaning of WYD Seoul 2027.

Delegates also received guidance on what dioceses and communities will need to recruit pilgrims, accompany them in preparation and organize their journey to Korea.

The program extended beyond the conference hall. Participants visited possible sites for WYD Seoul 2027 events and celebrated a Holy Mass at Myeongdong Cathedral. The four-day meeting also featured a K-Culture Night and a Days in the Dioceses Expo.

Mass at Myeongdong Cathedral: World Youth Day is a pilgrimage of hope

On September 16, delegates traveled into central Seoul for a concelebrated Mass at Myeongdong Cathedral, presided over by Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung of Seoul, President of the LOC.

In his homily, Archbishop Chung reflected on the theme verse of WYD Seoul 2027: “Take courage! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Jesus spoke those words, he noted, not after the disciples’ fears had disappeared, but while uncertainty still surrounded them. Young people today, he said, face an uncertain future, fierce competition, conflict and division, yet continue to dream of a different world and to search for reasons to hope.

“World Youth Day is a pilgrimage of hope that carries these words to young people around the world,” he said.

Reflecting on the days the delegates had spent together, Archbishop Chung said he had been struck less by their differences than by what they shared.

“Our experiences were different, but I felt that our hearts were one — one in the desire to bring young people the joy and hope of the Gospel.”

He urged delegates to make WYD Seoul 2027 known in their countries, dioceses, parishes and youth communities, and to reach beyond those already familiar with World Youth Day. “You are not simply gathering participants,” he said. “You are inviting a young person to encounter the Lord.”

Archbishop Chung added that preparations are being carried not only by the Archdiocese of Seoul but by dioceses and faithful across Korea, with young people themselves taking an active role. The LOC, he said, would continue listening to delegates and addressing what remains unfinished, “one thing at a time.” He concluded with a simple invitation: “Let us go to Seoul together.”

The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life: support youth ministry leaders on their journey of preparation

Representatives of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life also addressed participants during the closing Mass. Fr. Franco Galdino, Youth Area Coordinator at the Dicastery, said the meeting had gone beyond an exchange of information and experience, leaving participants with renewed enthusiasm for the work ahead. Over the course of the four days, he said, we could already catch a glipse of the next World Youth Day in Seoul.

 He thanked members of the LOC for their welcome and said the Dicastery would continue working closely with those responsible for youth ministry in countries around the world as preparations move forward.

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WYD Seoul 2027 will take place from August 3 to 8, 2027, preceded by the Days in the Dioceses (July 29 to August 2), during which pilgrims will stay with local communities in dioceses across Korea. It will be the second World Youth Day held in Asia, following Manila in 1995, and the first to take place in a country where Christians are a minority.

Registration for international pilgrims is scheduled to open at the end of October.