Namyangju Mayor requests Pope Leo XIV visit Majae Holy Ground

Namyangju Mayor Choi Hyun-deok has visited the Vatican to formally request that Pope Leo XIV include the Majae Holy Ground in his itinerary during his upcoming visit to South Korea. The request was made during a meeting with Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy.

The visit is timed around the 2027 World Youth Day (WYD) to be held in Seoul from August 3 to August 8, 2027. Mayor Choi aims to promote the historical and religious significance of the Majae Holy Ground, located in Joan-myeon, Namyangju, as an international pilgrimage site. The site is noted for its history of early Korean Catholic laypeople and the martyrdom of the Jeong Yak-jong family.

Mayor Choi, a Catholic who recently completed the Santiago pilgrimage, expressed in a letter to the Pope that the site is a precious asset combining religion, history, and ecology. The delegation plans to continue discussions with the Apostolic Nuncio to ensure the visit is reflected in the Pope's official schedule.