World Youth Day programme of ‘truth, love and peace’ unveiled in Seoul

Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul said WYD was ‘an earnest invitation to reflect together on the path that humanity is called to walk as one family under God’.

Organisers of the 2027 World Youth Day (WYD) in South Korea unveiled plans for the event, which is expected to draw more than one million young people from across the world.

Presenting the plans at the Catholic University of Korea on 27 October, the WYD Local Organising Committee said it had “officially entered the full implementation phase of preparations.”

Its chair, Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul, said the announcement was “an earnest invitation to reflect together on the path that humanity is called to walk as one family under God”. He hoped Seoul in 2027 “will become a city of hope, a city of solidarity, and a city of mission”.

Bishop Paul Kyung-sang Lee, general coordinator of WYD Seoul 2027, said that the event, which takes the title “Take courage! I have overcome the world” based on John 16:33, will focus on the truth, love, and peace. The theme of Love will include care for creation and the “ecological conversion” urged in Laudato Si’.

He announced plans to establish international youth networks dedicated to environmental stewardship, along with workshops where “young people will share ideas and initiatives for the common good”.

WYD will run from 29 July to 8 August 2027. The first phase, known as the “Days in the Dioceses”, will be hosted across Korea’s 15 dioceses, with visiting participants experiencing the life of local communities through parish programmes and staying with host families.

The main events will be held in Seoul from 3 August. They include an opening Mass celebrated by Archbishop Chung, a welcome ceremony with the Pope, the youth festival, catechesis, a Way of the Cross, a vigil and the closing Mass. The Welcome Ceremony will combine cultural and artistic performances with Pope Leo’s message to young people.

Bishop Lee described the youth festival as “a vibrant celebration of faith and creativity unfolding each day”. The Way of the Cross will be “a profound moment for young people to meditate on the sufferings of humanity and rediscover hope and courage”, he said.

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