▲ Asia Youth Day (AYD)2013

Pope Francis's visit to Korea is the first visit to an Asian country since the enthronement to the Pope and is an exclusive visit to Korea, which is to be conducted four nights and five days. The purpose of this visit is to participate in the festivities celebrating the Asian Youth Day and execute the beautification ceremony. We are letting you know the main events that will arrest the whole world's attention as well as the atmosphere in Korea, which is occupied with preparing for the event. We are also especially looking into the situation in Chungcheongnam-do preparing to receive the state guest first time in the province.
 

Inside 1. The festivities for the 6th Asian Youth Day to be held in Chungnam and Daejeon
Asia Youth Day (AYD), to be participated by Pope Francis, is an international event in which Asian Catholic youths and the episcopate gather; it was held in Taiwan, India, Hongkong, and the Philippines in turn every two or three years since the first festivities took place in HuaHin, Thailand in 1999.
 
The festivities of the 6th Asian Youth Day, which will be organized by the Daejeon diocese in Chungnam and Daejeon from this August 13 to 17, are run with the theme of §Rise, the young! Martyrs' glory is shining on you§.
 
The opening mass of the 13th, the opening day, will be delivered in the Solmoe Holy Ground, Dangjin with the theme of ※Come and See§. A program for Asian young believers is carried out in National Central Youth Training Center in Cheonan from the 14th to the morning of the 15th, and after that, the visiting party moves to the Solmoe Holy Ground, Dangjin in the afternoon of that day. On the 16th, an on foot pilgrimage, in which Asian youths walk through the path of Korean martyrs, is planned, and the Pope sends messages to Asian youths while delivering the closing mass that will be held in Haemieupseong Fortress in Seosan on the 17th.
 
The closing mass delivered by the Pope is planned to be broadcast live to the world in real time via the American 24-hour news channel CNN and others.
 

Inside 2. Beautification of Paulus Jichung Yoon and Other 123 Priests
The beautification personally officiated by the Pope is being received more meaningfully by the Korean Catholic Church since it takes place at the 30th anniversary of the bicentennial pastoral conference of Korean Catholic Church and the 30th anniversary of canonization of 103 saints. A special thing to draw people's attention is that 49 out of 124 martyrs who are to be beautified are from Naepo in Chungnam.

Pope Francis finally decided last February on the beautification that had been requested by the Korean Catholic bishops' conference about Jichung Yoon and the 123 priests who died for their beliefs during the early persecution days. This beautification is an event that officially acknowledges their statuses of Beatus; it is a Catholic ceremony that promotes priests to the Blessed, which is a preceding status before the status of saint.
 
The beautification of Paulus Jichung Yoon and 123 priests, which was officiated by the Pope on August 16, is to be held in the entire area of Gwanghwamun, Seoul (Gwanghwamun gate, Seoul Plaza, Cheonggye Plaza). The beautification starts at 10 in the morning for two hours and twenty minutes, and it is carried out in the order of common believers' entrance to the event hall, Pope's parade (Gwanghwamun three-way intersection atTaepyeong-ro), and then the mass.
 
Inside 3. Preparation for the Pope's Visit in Central and Local Government
In Korea, the whole nation, not just the believers, is welcoming Pope Francis's visit to Korea as a festive occasion for meeting the Pope withhappy anticipation. It is being prudential in preparing for the event. The Korean Catholic Church launched a preparatory committee for Pope Francis's visit to Korea with thechairperson being Bishop Peter U-il Kang. In addition, the preparatory committee is concentrating on the publicity after determining the logo to commemorate the Pope's visit to Korea.
 
Chungcheongnam-do, which receives the state guest for the first time in the history of the province, is also striving hard to successfully welcome the Pope. Chungcheongnam-do is planning to turn this event into synergy for regional development by enhancing the status and image of Chungnam through good publicity of the region＊s charm with rich historic and cultural resources.
 
Chungcheongnam-do is supporting to prepare for the Pope's visit to Chungnam by focusing on security, provisions of convenience for event participants and visitors, and courteous reception of the Pope as well as the creation of a welcoming atmosphere. Most of all, it works hard to organize the places to be visited, as lots of Catholics and tourists are expected to come to Chungnam on and around the day of the Pope's visit.

Maintenance work on the facilities of the Solmoe Holy Ground in Dangjin and Haemieupseong in Seosan is coming to the finish, and the four courses of Catholic pilgrimage that have been planned to be made as the §Korean Camino de Santiago§ are scheduled to be finished with the maintenance by July. The production of the pilgrimage map and publicity booklet is also being accelerated.
 
Residents in the vicinity of the place of the Pope's visit are vigorously endeavoring to develop their villages in connection with the Catholic holy ground. It is planned that five residents-supporting organizations in Hapdeok-eup and Ugang-myeon in Dangjin, and Haemi-myeon in Seosan as well as five other organizations related to the holy lands, such as Solmoe Holy Ground and Sinri Holy Ground, all share preparatory situations in relation to the Pope's visit within June. They have concluded an agreement targeted at finding a development strategy to arrange for efficient collaborative measures in a joint operation of residents, the holy grounds, and the administrative agencies.
 
Seosan and Dangjin are also busy preparing closely for the event autonomously while strengthening a close cooperative system with the government and the Chungnam province. They are working incessantly to check the securement of the participants' and visitors' safety, the present conditions of the traffic and parking lots, the maintenance conditions of the event locations, and the amenities. Additionally, Seosan is pushing forward with making the city a tourist attraction with the construction of a memorial hall for the Pope's visit, while Dangjin is working to build Francis square and PopeStreet.