LISBON – In a sign of the rapidly expanding influence that Asian Catholicism is having in the global church, Pope Francis announced on Sunday at the close of World Youth Day in Portugal that the next such gathering will be held in Seoul, South Korea. The Seoul gathering will take place in 2027, meaning in four years, rather than the typical three, as there will be a smaller-scale jubilee for youth held in Rome in 2025 as part of the Jubilee of Hope that year.
Pope Francis visited the South Korean capital in 2014, applauding the strong involvement of laity in the local church and highlighting the country’s many martyrs. Catholicism in the east Asian nation is rapidly growing. From 1985 to 2005, the percentage of the South Korean population identifying itself as Catholic more than doubled, standing today at just over 11 percent, according to the 2005 census, meaning more than five million people.
