By LiCAS News
SEOUL — Seoul city officials and Catholic Church leaders met last week to coordinate preparations for the 2027 World Youth Day, an international gathering expected to draw hundreds of thousands of young Catholics to South Korea.
Members of the Seoul Metropolitan Council’s Special Committee for Supporting the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day visited the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Seoul on March 13 and met with the event’s organizing committee led by Archbishop Chung Soon-taick.
The Archdiocese of Seoul said the meeting focused on cooperation between city authorities and Church organizers to ensure the successful hosting of the global youth event.
The visit followed the creation of the special committee within the Seoul Metropolitan Council to support preparations for the gathering.
In welcoming the delegation, Archbishop Chung said the event carries significance beyond the Church.
“The 2027 Seoul World Youth Day is an international event in which the Pope invites young people from around the world to Seoul. It goes beyond being a religious gathering and is a national-scale event where young people from across the globe can experience Korean culture and hospitality,” he said.
The prelate said the gathering would bring together a generation of young people who will shape the future of their societies.
Chung said the hundreds of thousands of young people expected to attend are part of a generation that will help lead their societies in the future, and that their experience in Korea could leave a lasting memory of the country’s culture and hospitality.
He stressed that cooperation with city authorities would be essential as Seoul prepares to host the event.
“This is not about supporting a particular religion. Rather, support from various sectors is needed so that a national-scale event can be held safely and successfully,” he said.
He also thanked lawmakers for forming the support committee.
Kim Hyun-ki, chairman of the special committee in the Seoul Metropolitan Council, said preparations had begun even before the committee was formally established.
“Even before the establishment of this committee, the Seoul Metropolitan Council had been preparing through a research group on World Youth Day,” Kim said.
He said the council plans to support preparations through legislative and institutional measures. Kim said the council plans to push for ordinances supporting preparations and coordinate with city government and education authorities.
