Top photo caption: A South Korean flag is seen as Pope Leo XIV gestures to pilgrims Aug. 3, 2025, the day of the closing Mass for the Jubilee of Youth at the Tor Vergata open-air field in Rome. On Oct. 22, 2026, the pope launched the opening of registrations for the 41st World Youth Day set to take place Aug. 3–8, 2027, in Seoul, South Korea. OSV News photo/Vatican Media via Reuters
By Junno Arocho Esteves, OSV News
OSV News — Next year’s World Youth Day is not a sightseeing excursion but an opportunity for Catholic youth to deepen and renew their faith, Pope Leo XIV said.
In an Oct. 22 video message, the pope launched the opening of registrations for the 41st World Youth Day set to take place Aug. 3–8, 2027, in Seoul, South Korea.
Read Pope Leo’s invitation HERE.
Inviting young people to come to Seoul, Pope Leo said it was “not merely an invitation to see a new city,” but a “call to set out on a pilgrimage of faith, friendship and hope.”
“A pilgrimage gives you the chance not only to discover Christian sites in another location, but also to find the time and space to encounter God more deeply, both personally and within the dynamic life of the Church,” he said.
According to the WYD 2027 registration website, registration for packages that include lodging will close May 31, 2027, to allow the organizers to assign accommodations, while packages that do not include lodging can be registered after that date.
In his message, the pope said young people will meet peers from around the world who represent “a beautiful and rich variety of languages and cultures.” Despite their differences, he added, youth will experience “an even greater sense of unity, for we are all members of the one body of Christ.”
“This occasion, therefore, will be a special opportunity both to deepen your faith and to encounter your brothers and sisters in Christ, and I hope you will make joyful memories and form friendships that will last a lifetime,” he said.
The opening of registration coincided with the feast of St. John Paul II, who established World Youth Day in 1985 as an annual event with periodic international gatherings.
Citing his predecessor’s call to “open wide the doors for Christ,” Pope Leo said those words apply to young people and encouraged those who embark on the pilgrimage to “bring all that you are and all that you carry in your hearts, including your dreams, desires, and hopes, as well as your wounds and struggles.”
“The Lord is waiting for you in this place of encounter and communion,” the pope said. “He calls each of you by name and he desires to reawaken your hope and to give you the fullness of life and joy.”
“I look forward to seeing you in Seoul! In the meantime, may God bless you and your loved ones,” he concluded.
Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News. Follow him on X @jae_journalist.
NOTES: The World Youth Day 2027 website is https://register.wyd-reg.org/welcome.