The cardinal D. Américo Aguiar participated in the second preparatory meeting for World Youth Day Seoul 2027, which took place from September 13 to 17, where he stated that "organizing a Day is difficult, but living after the Day can be even more demanding." The bishop of Setúbal, who chairs the Episcopal Commission for the Laity, Family and Life, argued that "now begins perhaps the most difficult part" after the completion of WYD Lisbon 2023, which had more than 1.5 million participants in the concluding celebrations at Parque Tejo.
In the session dedicated to the pastoral fruitfulness of the WYD, D. Américo Aguiar shared the experience of the Journey in Lisbon, emphasizing that young people are not just the future of the Church, but are Church now. The cardinal recalled that WYD Lisbon 2023 "continues to bear fruit," referring also to the Rejoice – National Youth Day held in July in Lamego, where the joy, the times of prayer, and the ability of young people to make things happen proved that the legacy of the Journey remains alive.
The prelate emphasized that "the volunteer is the most valuable treasure of a World Youth Day," characterizing them as someone who offers what "is perhaps one of the most precious goods": time. D. Américo Aguiar appealed to the organizers of WYD Seoul 2027 to care for the volunteers, listen to them, train them, trust them, and help them understand that they are not providing a service to a large event, but participating in a mission of the Church.
WYD Seoul 2027, with the theme "Take courage: I have overcome the world," runs from August 3 to 8 and features the participation of a Portuguese delegation from the National Department of Youth Pastoral, composed of Pedro Carvalho, Father Filipe Diniz, and Isabel Fernandes. D. Américo Aguiar left a message for the young people of Korea and the entire world: the Church awaits them "not to be spectators, nor merely to occupy a place in a crowd, but to be protagonists of a history that God continues to write."
