Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick, chair of the organizing committee for next year's World Youth Day in Seoul, on Nov. 5 speaks at a news conference for the event at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul's Jung-gu District. (Yonhap News)
By Margareth Theresia
Pope Leo XIV is expected to attend from Aug. 3-8 next year World Youth Day (WYD) in Seoul, with Seoul World Cup Stadium in the capital's Mapo-gu District and Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do Province, to serve as the main venues.
The organizing committee for WYD in Seoul on Nov. 5 said this at a news conference held at Myeongdong Cathedral in the city's Jung-gu District to announce preparations and operational plans for the event.
The stadium and its surrounding plazas will host the opening Mass on Aug. 3, papal welcome ceremony on Aug. 5 and Stations of the Cross on Aug. 6.
The committee is also working to hold an overnight prayer vigil on Aug. 7 and the closing Mass the next day at the base, with up to a million people including unregistered participants expected to attend.
An estimated 500,000 people will register for the event -- 400,000 young pilgrims from some 190 countries and 100,000 from Korea. About 3,000 foreign media personnel, 13,000 bishops and priests, and 20,000 volunteers are also expected to take part.
To accommodate the large number of participants, the plan is to secure lodging at churches, school gyms and auditoriums, universities and public facilities as well as arrange homestays.
With such a large-scale outdoor event to be held in the height of summer, the committee is also preparing safety measures against extreme heat. Shaded areas, rest zones and drinking water stations will be set up at venues to prevent heat-related illnesses, while event operations will be adjusted according to weather conditions.
Emergency medical facilities and personnel will also be assigned on-site, with patients to be rushed to nearby hospitals if necessary.
The pope will make his first visit to Korea since assuming his post to attend WYD, which is an international gathering of young Catholics to share their faith with him and engage one another.
margareth@korea.kr
