[Top Stories]25/11/22 Korean Buddhist group opposes govt support for World Youth Day

[성기화 요셉]

Says it does not oppose WYD, but is against using taxpayers' money for a religious event

A billboard publicising World Youth Day (WYD), a global Catholic event founded in 1985 and usually held every three years, is displayed in Seoul — where WYD 2027 is being hosted — next to a portrait of Pope Francis at Myeongdong Cathedral on March 16, 2025. (Photo: AFP)

By UCA News reporter

Published: November 25, 2025 08:29 AM GMT

Updated: November 25, 2025 09:58 AM GMT

South Korea’s largest Buddhist order has called for the immediate withdrawal of a proposed special law that would offer government support for the Church-organized World Youth Day (WYD) in Seoul, in 2027, stating it violates the constitutional principle of separation of religion and state.

“Our demand is directed at the government and the National Assembly, not the Catholic Church,” Venerable Sungwang of the Jogye Order told UCA News on Nov. 22, stressing, “the bill clearly violates the constitution.”

He said all 61 voting members of the Central Council of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism unanimously opposed the bill at their Nov. 19 general meeting.

The Jogye Order, which accounts for around 70 percent of the nation’s Buddhist temples, is the highest decision-making body of Korean Buddhism, comparable to a bishops’ conference in the Catholic Church.

A statement issued after the general meeting cited the constitutional separation of religion and state to oppose the bill, declaring that the state “cannot support a specific religion, and religious organizations must not exercise political power.”

It said the proposed law — the Special Act on Supporting World Youth Day Seoul 2027 — pending in the National Assembly since November 2024, would channel public resources into what it described as “a religious event for Catholic evangelization, not an international event that guarantees public value for Korean society.”

The Archdiocese of Seoul is scheduled to host WYD from July 29 to Aug. 8, 2027, and expects 1 million people for the closing Mass. Organizers say government support is essential for safety, transportation, and inter-agency coordination.

While insisting it does not oppose WYD itself, the Jogye Order said taxpayers’ money should not support a specific religious event and warned against setting “a bad precedent of collusion between politics and religion.”

The WYD Organizing Committee said at an Oct. 27 press briefing that it had finalized the basic plan with the Vatican and was entering the implementation phase.

Bishop Lee Kyung-sang, head of the committee, had in September clarified that the event is “three times the size of the Olympics,” stressing that government support is required for crowd control, security, temporary lodging, and multilingual services.

The bishop's response came after the Interreligious Reform Civil Coalition — composed of 29 groups from five major religions — opposed the legislation, saying a law granting “institutional preferential treatment” to one religion would violate the nation’s constitution.

Bishop Lee said organizers plan to request about 50 billion won (US$34 million) in government funding from a total budget of 300 billion won. He said the funds would be used for public safety and not for Church activities.

Church leaders also emphasized the need for a pan-government framework, as Pope Leo XIV is expected to attend the event as a state guest.

Bishop Lee, responding to criticism that WYD is a Catholic event, said organizers plan to offer cultural, artistic, and youth programs, and hope to promote interreligious harmony by inviting non-Catholic youth and exploring cooperation with Buddhist temples for lodging.

Father Joseph Young-je Lee of the WYD organizing committee told UCA News on Nov. 25 that the statement had been reported to the Archbishop of Seoul but that the Church would respond only after finalizing its official position.