They had some difficulting inviting someone so busy in preparation for the Seoul World Youth Day, just three years away. The interviewer:
▷Hello Father! The inauguration ceremony and inaugural Mass have come to a successful conclusion. Let's hear your thoughts on the event.
▶The inauguration ceremony and inaugural Mass were held at the Myeongdong Cathedral, in Seoul, three years before the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day. We invite and welcome young people from all over the world. Let's prepare for World Youth Day together. It's an opportunity to start preparing for the 2027 World Youth Day in earnest, with a message of hope for the youth, the Korean church, Korean society, and the entire world.
▷ It seemed like the priest was welcoming everybody with open arms. Those who have been watching CPBC News Plus regularly will probably know about World Youth Day, but there are definitely some who still feel unfamiliar with it. It is abbreviated in English as WYD. Could you explain in detail what kind of event it is?
▶ The abbreviation for World Youth Day is WYD— World Youth Day is celebrated every year on Christ the King Sunday on the Diocesan National level. However, St. John Paul II since 1986, once every two to three years, the Pope invites young people from all over the world to a specific region for a World Youth Day. The 41st World Youth Day will be held in Seoul in 2027.
▷ Since World Youth Day has been celebrated since 1986, it can be said to be a very historic day. Among them, you mentioned that the 2027 Seoul WYD, which will be held in Seoul, is the 41st. So, how should we understand the meaning of the 2027 Seoul WYD?
▶ If I were to sum up World Youth Day in one word, it would be a ‘festival of encounters.’ An encounter is someone meeting someone else, and in particular, the Pope and young people meet. And young people meet young people. And young people meet the church community. And in this encounter, experiencing the living Holy Spirit who is active, and meeting God is the opportunity for World Youth Day. As I have mentioned many times, the World Youth Day held in Seoul is the first World Youth Day to be held in a non-Christian culture. So it has a very missionary meaning. I think it will be a good opportunity to think again about how the love of God proclaimed through Jesus Christ has meaning in a non-Christian culture and how people can understand it. When we talk about missionary meaning, it usually gives off a feeling of conquest or aggressiveness. However, when we talk about evangelization here, we can say that the meaning of the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day is to provide an opportunity for young people and the Pope to meet and discuss how we can live together in peace in the merciful love of God who created this world for the good of all, and to create a new world — a new world for young people to live in.
▷Listening to the priest's words, I think we can interpret it this way: we meet the Lord when we face each other.
▶Yes, that's right.
▷In particular, the fact that the Seoul WYD is being held in a non-Christian culture feels special. Can we assume that the theme of the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day will be announced soon?
▶Yes, that's right. Because the previous World Youth Day was held in Lisbon in 2023. However, the 2027 World Youth Day is the first to be held between World Youth Days, which is also a special feature of the 2027 World Youth Day. Therefore, two themes were announced around the Jubilee. As we live this year, 2024, the theme for 2024 is ‘Rejoice in Hope.’ The theme for 2025 is ‘Those who put their hope in the Lord walk tirelessly.’ In 2025, we will face the Jubilee of the Youth, and the theme of this Jubilee is also ‘Pilgrims of Hope.’ However, I think that the Pope will soon announce the theme for 2027, beyond the theme of hope.
▷ I am very excited about what the theme will be, and I am hopeful here as well. Finally, is there anything you would like to say to the faithful and the people?
▶Both believers and citizens are complaining about high prices and the difficulties of people’s livelihoods domestically, and at the conference level, they are still experiencing difficulties due to war, nationalism, and powerful leaders. Pope Francis said that the reason poverty exists in the world is not because of a lack of goods, but because of a lack of solidarity. Although asking each person to solve their own difficulties may feel like the reality of each person living for themselves, what we need is a time of meeting to meet, listen to each other’s voices, and talk. In particular, listening to the realities of young people and talking together is the way to prepare for World Youth Day and is also the purpose of World Youth Day. Therefore, everyone can participate while remembering what the needs of young people are, that young people are not living their own lives but living together, and that World Youth Day is a conference where young people are the main characters and the church community works together with them for their growth. There are various ways to participate, such as as a pilgrim, as a homestay family, as a volunteer, and through prayer. I think that showing much interest in World Youth Day and praying especially is the most important way to prepare for the event. I ask for your prayers.
▷ I would like you to pray with me. Today, I spoke with Father Yang Ju-yeol, the head of the Seoul WYD Regional Organizing Committee, who gave us his precious time on this site. Thank you for your words today.
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