Barbed wire 'Cross of Peace' to be featured at WYD 2027

Vatican News

With preparations underway for the next global gathering of young people for World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul, South Korea, the Archdiocese has announced that a striking symbol will accompany the events to take place in the city there. A 'Cross of Peace' is being created from discarded barbed wire coming from the DMZ Demilitarized Zone, the buffer zone along the border dividing North and South Korea.

Symbol of peace

Fides News Agency reported that the barbed wire Cross, acknowledging the divided reality there, aims to transform the pain of division into a symbol of peace. The Cross will be approximately five meters in height and be presented to young people who will gather in Seoul for World Youth Day. The Pope is scheduled to bless the Cross during WYD. Fides News said the Archdiocese hopes that this initiative will "invite young people to transform symbols of division into signs of reconciliation, prayer, and hope, also in their personal lives.”

Sign of hope

In April the World Youth Day Organizing Committee, chaired by Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung of Seoul, held a ceremony to bless the young Korean WYD volunteers. With them were members of the Walking Together Foundation that started the barbed wire Cross project that involves the handmade transformation of barbed wire and its composition into a large cross. The work is taking place in the courtyard of Myeongdong Cathedral, the seat of the Archdiocese of Seoul, and is and expected to conclude in April 2027.

In his address to those present at the ceremony, Fides News reported that Archbishop Chung spoke about the barbed wire along the dividing line between North and South Korea, noting how it symbolizes the painful division and the fratricidal war on the Korean Peninsula. He said, “just as the cross, once an instrument of death, became a symbol of peace and reconciliation, sacrifice and love, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us pray that this cross may take root in our hearts as a symbol of reconciliation, peace, and love on the Korean Peninsula. Like resurrection after death, harmony and peace can also arise from conflict and war.”

Instruments of peace

Archbishop Chung blessed the materials being used to make the cross and prayed that all taking part in its creation become “instruments of peace.” Volunteers working on the barbed wire Cross project use hammers and anvils to shape the wire fragments, each around 50 centimeters in length, that are added to the cross structure. The spiritual dimension to the project involves helping the volunteers to reflect together on wounds in society needing healing and to work together and pray for peace. Volunteers come from various parishes, church groups, as well as those interested in contributing to the project. Fides News reports that "the project aims to spread a message of social integration and reconciliation that extends beyond the boundaries of the church community."