Pope Francis told young people on Sunday the Catholic Church needs them and urged them to follow their dreams as he wrapped up World Youth Day in Portugal with a massive open-air Mass and an announcement that the next edition would be held in Asia for the first time in three decades.
News that Seoul, South Korea would host World Youth Day in 2027 was a reflection of the continent's increasing importance to the Catholic Church, given the church is young and growing there whereas it is withering in traditionally Christian lands in Europe.
But in Lisbon, he was back on comfortable turf, with many people who can easily follow his native Spanish and seemed to appreciate his conversational way of communicating. They also seem to appreciate the massive turnout. "As young people, you want to change the world and it is good that you want to change the world and work for justice and peace," Francis said. "The Church and the world need you, the young, as much as the earth needs rain."Francis gave a special shout-out to John Paul, recalling that he launched the World Youth Day events in the 1980s to inspire the next generation of Catholics.
Notably, Francis didn't promise to be in Seoul -- he will be 90 in 2027. But he noted there will be an earlier occasion for a youth jamboree in 2025 when the Vatican hosts a Jubilee year expected to draw more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome.Jonghchan Chan, a South Korean pilgrim, was in the field for the announcement and voiced concern about the weather -- if it is held in August, heat could be a problem.
They woke Sunday as the sun rose over the River Tagus. Many had slept on mats, cots and the bare ground to be in place for Francis' Mass. Starting at dawn, a priest-DJ started spinning thumping reggae and Christian hymns from the sound system.
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