Pope Leo XIV has encouraged Korean priests and religious to help young people become “witnesses of hope” and to contribute to peace on the divided Korean Peninsula as preparations continue for World Youth Day in Seoul in 2027.
The Pope spoke to about 170 South Korean clergy and religious at the Vatican on 5 October. Many of those present are involved in organising the international youth gathering, according to Vatican News.
Leo said the upcoming event should connect the faith of Korea’s early martyrs with the hopes and questions of a new generation. He described World Youth Day as an opportunity for young people from around the world to encounter a Church whose faith took root through the witness of those who suffered persecution.
Korea, he noted, was once regarded as mission territory but has since become a country that sends missionaries to other parts of the world. He attributed this development in part to the faith and sacrifice of the Korean martyrs.
“Memory gives rise to mission, and mission opens the way to hope,” the Pope said, according to Vatican News.
He said World Youth Day could bring together the memory of the past and the possibilities of the future, creating what he described as “a great encounter between memory and the future”.
Leo encouraged those preparing for the gathering to listen carefully to young people and accompany them in their faith. He said following Christ should not be understood as a restriction on freedom but as something that enables people to discover a fuller horizon for their lives.
The Pope also pointed to the example of Korean martyrs such as St Andrew Kim Tae-gon and St Paul Chong Ha-sang. Their hope, he said, was not dependent on favourable circumstances but came from their belief that Christ had already overcome suffering and death.
He recalled the difficult experiences endured by the Korean people, including persecution, war, poverty and the continuing division of the peninsula. Despite these experiences, he said, the people had repeatedly shown the ability to recover and look towards the future.
Leo also urged the clergy and religious to strengthen their friendship with Christ and to see the differences among dioceses, religious congregations and individual experiences as an opportunity for greater synodality.
A synodal Church, he said, should view other people as brothers, sisters and companions rather than competitors.
The Pope said this witness has particular importance on the Korean Peninsula, which continues to live with what he called the “painful wound of division”.
He called on the Church to help create new opportunities for encounter and encouraged Catholics to work and pray for peace, so that the Gospel could be proclaimed freely across the Korean Peninsula and beyond.
With Seoul due to host World Youth Day in 2027, Leo urged those preparing for the gathering to approach the task with enthusiasm and to help a new generation discover Christian hope through the witness of Korea’s past and the Church’s mission for the future.
Based on reporting by Vatican News and UCA News.
