Pope Leo urges young people to register for 2027 World Youth Day

By Kielce Gussie With less than a year until the next World Youth Day (WYD) in Seoul, South Korea, registration has officially opened. In a video message sent to young people around the globe on Thursday, Pope Leo XIV urged them to sign up, but not just to “see a new city.” Rather, he explained, his is a “call to set out on a pilgrimage of faith, friendship and hope.” [ Photo Embed: In Portugal 2023, Pope Francis announced that WYD 2027 will be held in Seoul] A pilgrimage, he said, offers the chance to both discover Christian sites in a different place and to have time and space to encounter God on a deeper level, personally, and communally in the Church.

This 17th international World Youth Day will be an opportunity for young people from around the world to meet in one place, showcasing the rich and beautiful difference of languages and cultures. “Yet, despite these differences, and indeed because of your God-given diversity, you will experience an even greater sense of unity, for we are all members of the one Body of Christ,” the Pope stressed. For young people, Pope Leo explained, WYD 2027 will be