Pope Leo XIV, newly elected, to visit Seoul in 2027

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Pope Leo XIV, newly elected, to visit Seoul in 2027

Published: 09 May. 2025, 09:25 Updated: 09 May. 2025, 13:24

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost from the United States, blesses faithfuls from the central loggia of Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, on May 8. [EPA/YONHAP]

Pope Leo XIV, elected Thursday as the 267th pontiff, is expected to visit Korea in 2027 for the next edition of World Youth Day that will take place in Seoul.

Pope Francis announced Seoul as the host city during World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Robert Prevost, first pope from U.S. in history of the Catholic Church, takes the name Leo XIV

World Youth Day, a major Catholic gathering that brings together young people from around the world to meet with the pope, began in 1986 after Pope John Paul II invited youth to the Vatican in 1984 and 1985. Since then, the event has taken place every two to three years in different host cities, usually in July or August.

The reigning pope customarily attends the event, regardless of transitions in papal leadership. In 2005, although Pope John Paul II selected Cologne, Germany, as the host city, Pope Benedict XVI attended following John Paul’s death four months earlier.

If Pope Leo XIV travels to Seoul, it will mark the fourth papal visit to Korea. Pope John Paul II visited in 1984 and again in 1989. Pope Francis visited in 2014. The anticipated 2027 trip would be the first papal visit to the country in 13 years.

Hosting World Youth Day and welcoming the pope is considered a milestone for the global Catholic community and is expected to raise Korea’s international profile.

The event also carries significant economic implications. Past editions have drawn hundreds of thousands to millions of participants. The Archdiocese of Seoul estimates that the 2027 gathering may attract between 400,000 and 800,000 attendees, both domestic and international.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]