The preparations for the implementation phase of the World Youth Day Seoul 2027 have “kicked-off” with a global meeting. Source: UCA News.
The online “Kick-off Meeting for the Implementation Phase” of the WYD 2027 on March 5 was jointly hosted by the WYD Seoul Local Organising Committee (LOC) and the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.
Some 245 youth leaders and representatives from bishops’ conferences, ecclesial movements, and communities around the world joined the meeting, a media release from the LOC said.
The event was moderated from the Dicastery’s conference room in Rome.
In his opening address, Seoul Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung, the president of the LOC, presented four key words that summarise the vision of Seoul 2027: encounter, pastoral care, pilgrimage and mission.
He said the upcoming World Youth Day in Seoul should be “a place where young people discover that they are not alone, encounter God and one another, and are sent back to their daily lives renewed in faith”.
He also described Seoul as “a city where tradition and the future meet, where hospitality and community are lived, and where peace is deeply longed for”.
Fr Franco Galdino, the youth coordinator of the Dicastery, said that World Youth Day is “a shared journey in which the Church accompanies young people toward an encounter with Christ”.
The program also included a presentation on the Church in Korea, the pilgrimage of the WYD symbols, and the pastoral and spiritual meaning of WYD Seoul 2027.
Organisers introduced the event’s key themes and characteristics, including Korean culture, language, and Seoul’s identity as a technologically advanced city. The official website, social media channels, and the LOC’s international communication contact points were also presented.
The LOC further introduced its pilgrim participation packages. A total of nine package types will be offered, based on meal and accommodation options.
Organisers also announced that package contributions will increase by 10 per cent compared to previous WYD editions, reflecting global inflation and local costs while seeking to keep the burden on pilgrims as low as possible.
More detailed information on the packages will be published soon on the official WYD Seoul 2027 website.
WYD 2027 is scheduled to take place from July 29 to August 8, 2027.
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Seoul WYD 2027 implementation phase preparations begin (UCA News)
