Pope Leo XIV. [Reuters]
Pope Leo XIV. [Reuters]

Pope Leo XIV has urged young people around the world to join him in Seoul for next year's World Youth Day, saying he "eagerly awaits" meeting them in the South Korean capital.

The Vatican released Leo XIV's message for the 41st World Youth Day on Tuesday (local time). Published in Korean as well, the message said: "When we gather in Seoul, you will experience in a special way the beauty of the universal Church and the generous hospitality of the Korean Church," adding that "young people from different countries, with different languages and cultures, will come together as one in Christ."

The pope urged young people to bring their struggles and pain with them. "Bring your questions and your wounds — even the wounds that divide your societies and set nations against one another," he wrote. "Let the reality around you touch and move your hearts."

He acknowledged the pressures facing today's youth. "Many of you carry heavy burdens and worries," he said. "You may feel the pressure to succeed and be perfect, and find yourselves stressed by comparisons with others or with artificial ideals."

He also addressed the influence of social media. "The curated images of the online world can make it hard to accept who you truly are," he wrote. "In truth, you long for genuine affection. Technology cannot replace true human intimacy — it can only simulate empathy."

The message was dated Oct. 22, the feast day of St. John Paul II, who founded World Youth Day. Individual dioceses will mark the 41st World Youth Day on Nov. 22, while the international gathering will be held in Seoul from Aug. 3 to Aug. 8 next year.

The theme of the event is drawn from the Gospel of John: "Take courage; I have overcome the world." In a video message on Oct. 22, Leo XIV invited young people to Seoul, calling it "not an invitation to visit a new city, but a call to set out on a pilgrimage of faith, friendship and hope."

World Youth Day grew out of the International Youth Year established by St. John Paul II in 1985, becoming an international Catholic gathering bringing together the pope and young people from around the world the following year.

The Seoul event will be the first World Youth Day held in Korea and only the second in Asia, after Manila in the Philippines in 1995.

Leo XIV is expected to visit Korea for the first time since taking office to attend the Seoul gathering. It will be the first papal visit to Korea in 13 years, following Pope Francis' trip in 2014.


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