By Luke Godoy
The Archdiocese of Seoul in South Korea received a first-class relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis in anticipation of the World Youth Day in their country in 2027.
SEOUL, South Korea — Seoul Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick led the welcome ceremony on November 15 at the Myeongdong Cathedral.
They received hair strands of Blessed Carlo Acutis from the Paris Foreign Missions Society.
According to the archdiocese, the relic will be enshrined in the chapel of the Myeongdong World Youth Day Organizing Committee Center, where it will remain during the Jubilee Year of 2025.
Carlo Acutis was an English-born Italian who used his computer programming skills to create an interactive website showcasing Eucharistic miracles around the world.
He died at the age of 15 in October 2006 after succumbing to acute myeloid leukemia. Acutis was beatified by Pope Francis on October 10, 2020 and is likely to be canonized in 2025, which will make him the Church’s first-ever millennial saint.
“At the 16th Synod, we shared many opinions that digital culture is very important in today’s missions, and that we need to use the digital environment in a more evangelical way in order to become a Synodal church,” said Archbishop Chung during the acceptance of the relics.
Accompanying the relic from France to South Korea is Father Will Conquer of the Paris Foreign Missions Society.
“Carlo Acutis, our contemporary, is a person who gives us hope that [anyone] can become a saint in this era,” he said.
“I hope that [the young people of Korea] will get to know Blessed Carlo Acutis more and develop the fervent love for Jesus Christ that Blessed Jesus showed them,” he also said.
Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Seoul is set to receive the World Youth Day symbols this month. The Pilgrim Cross and the icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Roman will be handed over by Portugal, the previous host, to South Korea on November 24.
A welcoming ceremony of these symbols will be held at Myeongdong Cathedral on November 29.
