On 24 November, the Solemnity of Christ the King, on the occasion of World Youth Day in the Particular Churches, in St. Peter’s Basilica the traditional passing of the symbols of World Youth Day (WYD) will take place between the young people of Lisbon who will hand over to those of Seoul the Cross of the young people and the icon of Mary Salus Populi Romani. The theme chosen by Pope Francis for the WYD in Korea: “Have courage: I have conquered the world!”.

After 32 years, WYD will return to Asia, after the one in Manila in 1995. Why Korea? Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, explains: “Because of the strong missionary spirit of the Pope, who wants to bring the Word of God to everyone to make them understand that we can live together in peace”.

Although Korean Catholics represent only 11% of the population,
“The Church is full of vitality and is enriched by the heroic testimony of many martyrs,” continued the Prefect. “Asia’s natural openness to dialogue will be of great help to young people, the messengers
of peace of the future.”

Finally, he concluded, the dynamic Asian context will make young people reflect on the dialogue between faith and modernity. “Let’s think about the loss of meaning in life, the digital revolution, the climate crisis and economic inequalities,” he said. “These great questions will be a stimulus for contemporary culture to be transformed by the Gospel.”

The WYD, Farrell continued, presents three opportunities: first of all, it is an occasion for all young people for a general “rediscovery of the beauty of Christian life”, which can then be “fertile ground for the flourishing of many vocations, to marriage or to the priesthood and to consecrated life”, for the benefit of the Church in Korea, the Asian continent
and the universal Church.

Secondly, the natural openness of Asia to the coexistence of cultures, to dialogue and complementarity, will be, according to the cardinal, “of great help to young pilgrims, in their journey of formation to become the messengers of peace of the future, in a world so torn by conflict
and opposition”.

Finally, the dynamic Asian context will lead young people to reflect on the dialogue between faith and modernity: if climate crisis, economic inequalities, digital revolution and loss of meaning are the distinctive traits of the most developed societies, young people will be encouraged to give their personal contribution so that contemporary culture is fermented and transformed by the Gospel.

Msgr. Peter Soon-taick Chung, Archbishop of Seoul and President of the Local Organizing Committee recalls the history of Korea and the periods of persecution, but above all, the strength of the first faithful, who welcomed the seeds of the Gospel.

The WYD in Korea, Msgr. Peter Soon-taick Chung explains, will be “a meaningful journey in which young people, united with Jesus Christ, will reflect and discuss the modern challenges and injustices they face” and a “celebration” that “will allow everyone to experience the vibrant and energetic culture created by young Koreans”.

Through this “collective journey”, the archbishop added, the pilgrims of the WYD will become “courageous missionaries”, inspired to live the joy of the Gospel that they have found.

Regarding the relationship with North Korea, Msgr. Peter Soon-Taick Chung comments: “The relationship is not favourable. But if it is possible, we will also invite young North Koreans”.

In anticipation of 2027, Monsignor Paul Kyung Sang Lee, general coordinator of the WYD said that about 1,000 Korean youth will participate in the Jubilee of Youth that will be held in Rome in August next year. Preparations for the WYD, he added, have already begun.
“Our youth are open to interreligious dialogue and many priests have become friends with Buddhist monks. The WYD wants to be
a great event of unity.”

The prelate pointed out that the logo, was inspired by the brushstroke techniques of traditional Korean art. “There is a cross in the centre,” he explained. “The red and blue colours symbolize Christ’s victory over the world, the blood of the martyrs and the vitality of young people. Finally, the yellow that shines behind the cross represents Christ,
the “Light of the World”.”

Kim Suji Gabriella, a young Korean who works in marketing and sustainability says: “After experiencing the WYD in Krakow in 2016, I had the honour of participating in the Synod on the journey with young people in Rome in 2017 as a Korean delegate. This precious experience of meeting and interacting with the Pope and young people has fuelled my commitment to serving the Church”.

The young lady, who began her service as a catechist, tells how the pandemic has dispersed the flock, but she says she is confident: “Through the WYD in Seoul 2027, we will forge a path of unity, hope, courage and passion, welcoming people from all walks of life, not just Catholic believers, to walk together in harmony”. (C.C.)

The latest African Youth Survey from the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, a leading African foundation promoting active citizenship across the continent, provides a comprehensive look at the perspectives, hopes and concerns of young people in 16 African countries. Now in its third iteration, the 2024 Survey reveals both encouraging signs of optimism as well as ongoing challenges facing Africa’s youth. The most important top findings.

1. Afro-Optimism. Overall attitudes remain negative about the direction of the continent, individuals’ countries, and their national economies, but there are small improvements following dips during COVID. Death from infectious diseases remains the most impactful event of the past five years, though some countries worry about political instability. Addressing corruption is now the top barrier to progress followed by creating new, well-paying jobs.
2. International Influence on Africa. Seven-in-ten remain concerned about the influence of foreign powers with China and the US seen to have the greatest influence, though many view it positively. For China, positivity is driven by affordable products and investments in infrastructure, while those who see the US’s influence as positive point to economic support offered. Although Russia is not viewed as one of the most influential international powers in the region, an increasing proportion negatively view the impact of this influence in their country, mainly driven by the detrimental impacts being felt from Russia’s engagement in conflicts.
3. Africa’s Role on the Global Stage. Youth are looking for their leaders to balance addressing domestic issues with increasing their country’s global influence. Most think their leaders have a voice and can drive change on the global stage and want to see their governments taking more direct engagement on international issues both within the continent and beyond
4. Democracy and Government. The vast majority continue to support democracy, but a growing proportion say that sometimes non-democratic systems are preferable and that African countries need to design their own democratic structures. Equality under the law remains the top pillar of democracy and most say their voice matters to leaders, with just under half registered to vote.
5. Quality of Life and Living Standards. Perceived standards of living bounce back to 2020 levels with two-in- five saying their standard is ‘good’ or ‘very good’ and most continue to expect it to be better in two years with three-quarters saying they will have a better life than their parents. However, there continues to be widespread dissatisfaction with governments’ efforts to reduce poverty and tackle rising costs, and satisfaction with nearly all government services is up from 2022, but down from 2020.
6. Future Ambitions. Four-in-five continue to say they know what they want to do with their life and future family plans are stable too with seven-in-ten planning on having fewer children than their parents, starting a family later, and getting married later. Employment opportunities and job prospects are bleak – three-quarters say it is difficult to find a job, nearly all are concerned about the lack of economic job prospects, and two-thirds are dissatisfied with their governments’ efforts to create jobs and fight unemployment. Corruption is seen as the top barrier to getting a job followed by there not being enough well-paying jobs and not having enough government support. Seven-in-ten say they plan to start a business, but lack of access to capital / money and corruption are seen as the biggest barriers to these ambitions. Over half say they plan to emigrate in the next five years, citing economic reasons and education opportunities with most wanting to move to North America. While most plan to make this a temporary move, a growing proportion say it could be permanent.
7. Corruption. Reducing government corruption is seen as the key priority to progressing the continent. Four-in-five are worried about corruption in their country with high levels of concern about corruption in government, business, and the police. Most are dissatisfied with efforts to tackle corruption and there is widespread support for a range of policies to address it, including police taskforces, tougher penalties, and banning those convicted of corruption from standing for public office
8. Safety and Security. Two-in-five are satisfied with the police and security services and a quarter say that they or a family member have been a victim of a crime in the past five years. Most think penalties and punishments are about right, but a third say they are not harsh enough. Only half say that they are equal before the law and three-quarters are worried about gender-based violence and the lack of protection for women’s rights. While most want more protections for minority communities, only a third say this for the LGBTQ+ community. Three-in-five are confident in the government’s ability to deal with terrorism and insurgency, but it is felt to be impacting their lives in many markets with noticeable increases in those who know someone who supports or has been approached by a terror group, or have been approached themselves
9. Environment. Three-quarters are concerned about climate change, but less than half are satisfied with efforts to address it and four-in-five say their government needs to be doing more to address it across a range of measures. The top barriers to achieving global warming targets are seen to be taking too much time on consensus building over action, individual governments failing to take action, and low international interest in the issue. Seven-in-ten are worried about plastic waste, but this is trending down as satisfaction with recycling infrastructure improves. African youth are most concerned by water scarcity with three-quarters (76%) report being ‘very’ or ‘somewhat concerned’ and two-in-five youth (40%) now report spending more than a quarter of their income on accessing clean water, a significant increase from 2022. Three-in-five worry about poaching of wild animals with widespread agreement that it leads to their extinction.
10. Immigration. Two-thirds are concerned about immigration and asylum and only two-in-five are satisfied with government efforts to tackle illegal immigration. Three-in-five say that illegal immigration negatively impacts their country in various ways such as diverting government resources and driving up crime. While most say their country has a moral obligation to accept refugees, a third disagree
11. Technology. Four-in-five say internet connectivity is a fundamental human right, but only two-in-three have regular, private, internet access. The proportion who says mobile data is affordable is growing and more can afford it regularly than in 2022. Smartphone usage has increased with two-thirds saying they use it for three or more hours a day and a third saying they spend more time online than they would like to. Social media apps are the most frequently used. Three-in-five say that online dating apps allow them to meet people they would have never met before and over half say they would be open to meeting others through online dating. However, a similar proportion say it is ruining social norms and traditional dating, and just under half say their family would be accepting of someone they met through online dating. AI is seen as a force for good and positive progress, but many still worry that it can do more harm than good.
12. News and Media. Television remains the top source but it is declining while Facebook remains in second and is climbing. BBC and CNN are the most trusted news sources, but the proportion who say they encounter fake news at least once a week has risen to nearly half. Fake news is seen to be a serious problem as a range of organisations use it to advance their agendas, and over three-in-five worry about the impact of fake news and misinformation on upcoming elections.

    The 2024 African Youth Survey was conducted by PSB Insights in Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia. (Photo: 123rf)