Pope’s presence at Asian Youth Day in South Korea, a possibility

January 23, 2014: Asked by reporters about the upcoming international trips of Pope Francis, the director of the Vatican Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, on Wednesday, said that the possibility of an Apostolic Voyage to Asia is being studied. Such a trip could include a visit to South Korea, on the occasion of the sixth Asian Youth Day, set to take place in August 2014.

The Sixth Asian Youth Day is scheduled for August 10 to 17 this year in Daejeon (South Korea). The Asian Youth Day (AYD) is an initiative of the Youth Section of the Office of the Laity of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC), which was launched in 1999 to promote and develop the potential of evangelization among young people of the continent, offering them an opportunity to share with young people of other religions, ‘the experience of God.’

The event is being organized every three years and as a rule the meetings are held for a three day cultural and Spiritual deepening. The sixth edition of Korea would have then expected to take place in 2012. The previous Ayd were held in Hua Hin (Thailand) in 1999, Taipei (Taiwan) in 2001 in Bangalore (India) in 2003, in Hong Kong in 2006 and in Manila in 2009. The theme of the first edition was "Youth in Asia journey with Jesus to the New Millennium."