Vatican Hopes North Korean Youth Can Join World Youth Day 2027 as Seoul Seeks New Opening for Inter-Korean Dialogue

Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy, made the remarks during a meeting with South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young in Seoul on July 22. The meeting took place while the cardinal was visiting his homeland during a vacation.

The discussion highlighted growing expectations that the pope’s planned participation in the global Catholic youth gathering could carry significance beyond the Church, potentially creating opportunities for engagement at a time when relations between North and South Korea remain largely frozen.

Seoul Sees Papal Visit as Potential Bridge

Minister Chung described Pope Leo’s anticipated visit as a possible bridge between the two Koreas after years of stalled communication.

Inter-Korean contacts, dialogue and official meetings have effectively been suspended for the past seven to eight years, leaving few avenues for direct engagement. Against that backdrop, Chung said he hopes young North Koreans could join participants from around the world at the weeklong Catholic event in Seoul.

“I hope that North Korean youth will also be able to participate in the gathering where young people from around the world gather,” Chung said, adding that the South Korean government intends to work toward restoring trust between the two sides before the pope’s arrival.

He characterized a papal visit as “a great blessing for peace on the Korean Peninsula” and pledged support to ensure that World Youth Day is held in a positive atmosphere.

Vatican Emphasizes Peace Efforts

Cardinal You said the Holy See traditionally avoids overtly political interventions but remains committed to efforts that support peace on the Korean Peninsula.

According to the cardinal, Vatican diplomats stationed in countries where North Korea maintains embassies may be able to establish contacts and contribute in ways appropriate to local circumstances ahead of the pope’s visit.

The comments suggest the Vatican may seek to encourage dialogue through its diplomatic network while maintaining its longstanding preference for quiet engagement rather than public political advocacy.

Cardinal You also revealed that he had informed Pope Leo that South Korea’s president, government and citizens were hoping the Holy See could play a meaningful role in advancing peace efforts. He said the pope responded by expressing hope that he would be able to fulfil such a role.

Pope Leo’s Relationship With Seoul

The cardinal further shared details from Pope Leo’s meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the Vatican last month.

According to You, the pope expressed gratitude for what he described as a comfortable and natural conversation with the South Korean leader.

Lee visited the Vatican while attending the Group of Seven summit and held a private audience with Pope Leo. During that visit, the South Korean president formally invited the pope to attend World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul. Reports also indicated that the possibility of a papal visit to North Korea was discussed during their meeting.

The outreach aligns with Lee’s broader efforts to pursue dialogue with Pyongyang, marking a shift from the harder-line policy adopted by his predecessor, former president Yoon Suk Yeol.

A Peninsula Still Divided

The Korean Peninsula remains one of the world’s most enduring unresolved conflicts.

Following the end of World War II, Korea was divided into separate zones administered by the United States and the Soviet Union. The division hardened into the establishment of two rival states. In 1950, North Korean forces invaded the South, triggering the Korean War.

The conflict, which lasted until 1953, resulted in approximately four million deaths and displaced around ten million family members across the peninsula.

Although active fighting ended with an armistice agreement, no peace treaty was ever signed. As a result, North and South Korea remain technically at war more than seven decades later.

World Youth Day and the Korean Church

World Youth Day 2027 is scheduled to take place in Seoul from Aug. 3 to Aug. 8. Organized by the Catholic Church, the event is expected to attract young Catholics from across the globe for prayer, worship and cultural exchange.

For South Korea’s Catholic community, hosting the gathering will be a landmark moment. According to the latest statistics from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, the country was home to 6,006,832 Catholics at the end of 2025, representing roughly 11 percent of the national population.

Reliable data on the Catholic population in North Korea remains unavailable. Religious activity in the country is believed to exist under severe restrictions. Christian advocacy organization Open Doors estimates that North Korea has approximately 400,000 Christians overall.

With two years remaining before World Youth Day opens in Seoul, both South Korean officials and Vatican representatives appear hopeful that the event can serve not only as a major celebration of faith but also as an opportunity to encourage renewed trust and dialogue across one of the world’s most heavily fortified borders.

• Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News