In the final Mass of World Youth Day (WYD) 2023 in Lisbon, Pope Francis urged young Catholics Sunday (August 6) to be fearless, follow their dreams, and work for the common good.
The Vatican reported some 700 bishops and 10,000 priests in attendance on top of the 1.5 million pilgrims who flew to Portugal to participate, as per the Associated Press.
In typical fashion, Francis improvised his way during the service's sermon, almost abandoning his prepared homily. With the gospel passage selected for that Sunday being the account of Jesus's transfiguration on Mount Tabor in the presence of three of his apostles, the pope reminded young Catholics of the words often used by his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.
"The Church and the world need you, the young, as much as the earth needs rain," Francis said. "Do not be afraid!"
Seoul Hosts WYD 2027
Before the end of the service, Francis announced the next World Youth Day would be held in Seoul in South Korea in 2027, the first time the Catholic jamboree was held in Asia after the last one in Manila in 1995, the largest-ever organized to date.
The choice of venue for the seasonal event was a reflection of the continent's increasing importance to the Catholic Church, given congregations in the region are younger and growing than their European counterparts.
Traditionally, the Philippines is the highlighted Catholic country in Asia, which was the probable reason why Manila hosted the event in the 1990s. But over the next few decades, South Korea produced more priests and lay faithful despite its late start in being evangelized by Catholic pioneers.
In the 1970s, Korean Catholics composed only about 1% of the national population. Today, they represent 10%, with a population of 50 million.
Both South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol and his predecessor, Moon Jae-In, are Catholics.
Meanwhile, South Korea is currently hosting the World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, south of Seoul, until August 14. The scouting meet is currently plagued with multiple setbacks, such as heatwave, poor accommodations, and spoiled food.
Korean Catholics in Lisbon have voiced concern about when to hold World Youth Day due to the heatwave plaguing the scouting jamboree back home, urging authorities to move the event to cooler months. There is also a worry the pope might not make it to Seoul in 2027, as he will be 90 that year.
Read Also: 83 World Scout Jamboree Attendees in South Korea Treated Over Heat-Related Illnesses
Francis Visits Fatima
The day prior (August 5), the pope who used a wheelchair visited the Portuguese town of Fatima to pray alongside many young people with disabilities.
Fatima was the site of the alleged apparition of the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children in 1917, and one of several Catholic shrines in Europe frequented by the sick to seek healing and peace.
Francis and the congregation offered prayers at the very site of the apparitions, where a chapel is now erected. He also laid a golden ornamental rosary at the foot of the image of the Virgin Mary, the Catholic News Agency reported.
Two of the visionaries died young and were already canonized by Francis in 2017, the centenary of the apparitions. The third mystic, known today as the Carmelite nun Sister Lucia, has had her cause for canonization advanced as a "Venerable" in an announcement last June. She was previously a "Servant of God," the first of four major steps in the process of sainthood.
Last year, Pope Francis urged all Catholic bishops around the world to join him in consecrating Russia and Ukraine to the immaculate heart of the Virgin Mary as a plea for peace from the Catholic Church, as well as to cease hostilities in the Russian-occupied areas, including the outskirts of Kyiv during that time.
Related Article: World Youth Day 2023: Pope Francis Calls on College Students to Work for Planet, Poor
