Chungnam Province is moving swiftly to establish an international pilgrimage network centered around its 27 Catholic martyrdom shrines, aiming to elevate the global brand value of its rich religious and historical heritage. 

According to provincial authorities on August 27, South Chungcheong Province Governor Park Soo-hyun met directly with Pope Leo XIV during a papal general audience held at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on August 26 (local time). The meeting was arranged with the assistance of Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy.

During the audience, Governor Park formally requested the Pope to visit Chungnam on the occasion of the upcoming World Youth Day (WYD) scheduled to take place in Seoul next year. "If Your Holiness would graciously visit Chungnam, the land of martyrs, it would become the first local government in Korea to be visited by two consecutive pontiffs," Governor Park stated. In response, Pope Leo XIV smiled and nodded gently, conveying a deep understanding of Chungnam’s significance as a profound historical site for nameless Catholic martyrs. 

Governor Park also presented an ambitious vision to link Chungnam’s 27 martyrdom sites—including the Haemi International Sanctuary and Solmoe Shrine—into a world-class pilgrimage network akin to the famous Camino de Santiago in Spain. "The Camino de Santiago attracts people from all over the world, transcending religious boundaries," Park noted, explaining his conversation with the Pope. "If we network Chungnam’s numerous Catholic martyrdom trails and cultural assets, it has the potential to become the ultimate 'Camino de Santiago of the East.'" 

The historical roots of Chungnam run deep. During the severe Catholic persecutions of the Joseon Dynasty, over 1,000 Catholics were martyred and buried at the Haemi site alone. Recognizing this tragic and sacred history, the Vatican officially designated the Haemi Sanctuary as an international pilgrimage site in 2023. This followed the historic 2014 visit of Pope Francis, who traveled to Chungnam's Solmoe and Haemi sanctuaries during the Asian Youth Day. Should Pope Leo XIV accept the invitation and visit the province, Chungnam will cement its legacy as a unique region honored by successive papal visits. 

The World Youth Day, a major global gathering bringing the Pope together with young people from around the world, will be held in Seoul and across Korea next August. This marks only the second time the event is being hosted in Asia, following Manila, Philippines, in 1995. The main event will take place in Seoul for six days from August 3 to 6, preceded by five days of preliminary diocesan programs across local communities from July 29 to August 2. 

To ensure the success of the upcoming mega-event, Chungnam Province has invested 22.5 billion won into seven key infrastructure and cultural exchange projects around the Haemi International Sanctuary. These initiatives include the completion of a digital history exhibition hall, tree-lined walking paths connecting Haemi to Ganwolam, and night pilgrimage course landscapes, alongside the ongoing construction of a pilgrimage visitor center and cultural exchange complexes. 

With total participation in the Seoul WYD expected to reach up to one million young Catholics globally, Chungnam anticipates welcoming around 50,000 international youth to its local diocese programs. This influx will coincide with the 2027 Chungcheong-region Summer World University Games, creating a powerful synergy that will draw a massive wave of global visitors to the province. 

Following the general audience, Governor Park met with Cardinal You Heung-sik at the Dicastery for the Clergy to formally deliver a personal invitation letter for Pope Leo XIV, requesting the Cardinal's assistance in presenting it to the Pontiff. 

Chungnam provincial officials expressed high expectations, noting that a potential visit by Pope Leo XIV would not only reinforce the region's historical prestige as a sanctuary of faith and human dignity, but also catapult the international brand recognition of Chungnam’s invaluable cultural heritage onto the global stage.

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