WYD Seoul 2027: Preparing an encounter, not just a gathering

Inviting a young person to World Youth Day means more than adding a name to a list of participants.

That was the message Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung of Seoul offered delegates during the Second International Preparatory Meeting for WYD Seoul 2027, which concluded on 17 September.

“You are not simply gathering participants,” he said. “You are inviting a young person to encounter the Lord.”

More than 400 people took part in the four-day meeting, organized by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life together with the Local Organizing Committee.

Delegations represented over 160 dioceses, religious congregations, and ecclesial movements.

Celebrating Mass at Myeongdong Cathedral on 16 September, Archbishop Chung encouraged delegates to extend their invitation beyond young people already acquainted with World Youth Day.

Reflecting on the theme, “Take courage! I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33), he recalled that Jesus addressed the disciples while they were still facing uncertainty.

Today’s young people, he said, also confront an uncertain future, intense competition and division, yet continue seeking hope.

That concern had also marked Cardinal Kevin Farrell’s opening Mass, when he encouraged preparations that would help young people turn towards Christ and discover communion across cultural differences.

At the closing Mass, Bishop Paul Kyung-sang Lee, the organizing committee’s General Coordinator, placed the experience of being loved at the heart of that mission.

“Before anything else, young people need to discover that they are loved — loved by God, loved by the Church, and welcomed as they are,” he said.