Pilgrims and bishops celebrate on stage holding a South Korean flag, as the next WYD are to be held in Seoul, during the closing mass of the World Youth Days (WYD) in Tejo Park, Lisbon, on Aug 6, 2023. – Around one million pilgrims from all over the world will attend the World Youth Day, the largest Catholic gathering in the world, created in 1986 by John Paul II (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)
Nov 24 2023
Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick shared at a peace forum in Seoul this week that he plans to invite a youth delegation from North Korea to the 2027 World Youth Day to take place in the South Korean capital.
The invitation will be sent to the North Korean government through the appropriate channels, according to Agenzia Fides, the information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies.
North Korea has long been identified as the worst country in the world for Christian persecution. The 2022 report by the International Bar Association’s War Crimes Committee and the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea said that Christians in North Korea are particularly targeted and tortured within the country’s prison system.
In contrast with North Korea, Christianity in South Korea has experienced rapid growth in recent decades, according to the Pew Research Center. In particular, the Catholic population in South Korea has increased by nearly 50% in the past 20 years.
Chung, as the archbishop of Seoul, is also the apostolic administrator of Pyongyang, North Korea. He said that he is committed to “the mission of peace and reconciliation.”
“Missionary work in North Korea is not only my vocation as apostolic administrator of Pyongyang, but also my responsibility as a Korean citizen,” Chung said.
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