South Korean officials request Pope Leo XIV visit religious sites

South Korean officials and regional leaders are making formal requests to Pope Leo XIV to visit specific religious sites during his upcoming visit for the 2027 World Youth Day in Seoul.

National Assembly member Kim Yong-min met with Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik at the Vatican to petition for a visit to the Majae Holy Ground in Namyangju. Kim emphasized the site's historical significance as a place where early Korean Catholicism was established through the voluntary faith of laypeople rather than foreign missionaries.

Simultaneously, South Chungcheong Province Governor Park Su-hyeon met with the Pope in Rome to request a visit to Chungnam, a region containing 27 Catholic martyrdom sites. Park proposed developing an ‘Eastern Santiago Trail’ by networking these sites to create a global pilgrimage route. The Governor also discussed the synergy between the World Youth Day and the 2027 Summer World University Games, which will take place during the same period.