The news that Seoul, South Korea, will host World Youth Day in 2027 was a reflection of the growing importance of the Asian continent for the Catholic Church, as the Church there is young and growing, while in the lands traditionally Christian in Europe is withering away.
Francis made the announcement at the end of Mass before some 1.5 million pilgrims, many of whom camped out overnight in a Lisbon park so they could be in the grand finale of the Catholic festival. With them were some 700 bishops and 10,000 priests, according to the Vatican.
Later, before leaving, Francisco went to thank some of the nearly 30,000 international volunteers for the event. They gathered on the banks of the river despite the afternoon heat, which reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and prompted authorities to issue an extreme weather alert. The pontiff looked uncomfortable in the heat as he toured the site in an open-top popemobile, but he looked calmer as he delivered a speech from a shaded stage.
At the start of his 10-year papacy, Francis often went off script and ignored his prepared speeches, seemingly inspired for the moment to engage directly even with huge crowds of people. In recent years he has stuck more to plans, especially on visits to places where Christians are in the minority or the public might not appreciate his informal style.
“I didn’t imagine that so many people would come,” said Ana García Prat, a 23-year-old pilgrim from Spain who was in Lisbon. “I did not imagine in my head a mass with so many people from all places.”
Francis urged young people on Sunday to follow their dreams and not be afraid of failure, a theme repeated often by John Paul II during his quarter century of youth journeys.
“To you, young people, who want to change the world, and who want to fight for justice and peace,” Francisco said. “You put desire and creativity into life, but you find it insufficient.”
“The Church and the world need you, the earth needs the rain,” he said.
“Don’t be afraid!” the pontiff pointed out.
Francis made a special mention of John Paul II, recalling how he started WYD in the 1980s to inspire the next generation of Catholics. It was that Pope who presided over one of the most massive WYD, in Manila, Philippines, in 1995, the last and only time it was held in Asia.
After Francis announced that Seoul would host the 2017 edition, excited young South Koreans leaped onto the stage carrying a huge South Korean flag. Half a century ago, Catholics made up about 1% of the South Korean population, while now they are 10% of its 50 million people, and Vatican statistics show that more than 100,000 people are baptized each year in the country.
The Archbishop of Seoul, Peter Soon-taek Chung, told reporters that he hoped “hopefully” more pilgrims would come to Seoul than the nearly 300,000 who attended the Sydney edition in 2008. He said one of the goals would be to revitalize youth ministry in South Korea, which he said had suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, with fewer young Catholics attending Mass.
Francis did not promise to be in Seoul; in 2027 he will be 90 years old. But he noted that there will be a previous occasion for a youth festival in 2025, when the Vatican hosts a jubilee year that is expected to draw more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome.
Jonghchan Chan, a South Korean pilgrim, was at the Lisbon festivities at the time of the announcement and expressed concern about the weather, as if it takes place in August, the heat could be a problem. Earlier this week, a large international scout rally in Seoul was called to be shortened due to excessive heat.
“I am very happy, but a little worried because we have to welcome the rest of the people,” said the 33-year-old. “It will be a bit worrisome, but we will make it happen.”
In Lisbon, the youngsters endured temperatures of 100ºF (38ºC) on Saturday to find space for the night vigil and had to brave even higher temperatures on Sunday at noon.
Many woke up Sunday as the sun rose over the Tagus River after spending the night on mats, cots or on the ground to be at the site of Francis’ mass. From dawn, a DJ priest began playing Christian hymns and reggae through the sound system.
Francis’ message this week has been one of inclusivity, stressing that “everyone, everyone, everyone” has a place in the Church. That fits with his message that the Church is not a space of rigid rules that only allows entry to the perfect, but a “field hospital” for wounded souls where all are welcome.
Lisbon Cardinal Manuel Clemente said the pope wanted the event to be “open to all, showing the breadth of the Gospel, which excludes no one and is open to all.”
“In today’s world it is very important to accept ourselves as we are and to know our place as Christians and to validate it,” said Doriane Kilundum, a 23-year-old pilgrim from the Democratic Republic of Congo. “We really support the pope’s message and we are happy to be here.”
Kilundu said the experience of spending the night in the countryside, with 1.5 million other worshipers, was unprecedented for her and other Congolese pilgrims.
“I am accompanied by young girls from my country who are seeing people from other places for the first time, and understanding that we are one nation, and for us is beautiful,” she said.
___
Filipe Bento and Jorge Jerónimo contributed to this report.
___
The Associated Press’ coverage of religion is supported through the AP partnership with The Conversation US, with funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its content.
FOUNTAIN: Associated Press
