Pope Francis announced on Sunday that South Korea will host the next World Youth Day (WYD), a significant Catholic youth festival, in 2027.
The pontiff made the announcement during conclusion of this year's WYD in Lisbon.
He told the faithful assembled the next WYD will be held in Seoul, South Korea.
Pope Francis added that in 2027, the event will move to the Far East from the western border of Europe, and this is a beautiful sign of the universality of the Church.
The news was met with applause from a crowd of around 1.5 million flag-waving young pilgrims from around the world.
The event has only been hosted once in Asia, in the Philippine capital of Manila in 1995.
WYD is a week-long Catholic festival that has a variety of events such as concerts and prayer sessions.
Following the pope’s announcement, Archbishop of Seoul Peter Soon-taek Chung said he believes that visitors to Korea will be impressed by the country’s remarkable efficiency
He added that WYD is not only a Catholic event but a global celebration and a platform for inter-religious encounters.
This year's WYD, which was originally intended for August 2022 but was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was Pope Francis's fourth festival celebration, following Rio de Janeiro in 2013, Krakow in 2016, and Panama in 2019.
Pope Francis visited South Korea in 2014, making his first trip to Asia in 15 years. The country is one of the last Roman Catholic strongholds in Asia.
Catholics make up about 11% of South Korea's 52 million-strong population, a figure that has grown in recent decades.
WYD was founded in 1986 by John Paul II as a way for the Vatican to rally young Catholics at a time when secularism and clergy paedophilia scandals are prompting some to quit the faith.
