Religion and the Contemporary Phase of Globalization: Insights from a Study of John Paul II’s World Youth Days*

Abstract

Experts are very divided about whether religions have helped or hindered the latest step towards globalization. While archive-based studies tracking the relationships between religions and globalization remain scarce, this article aims to contribute to this conversation through a historical inquiry into Word Youth Days (WYDs), global religious festivals organized by the Catholic Church every two or three years since 1984. Reviewing the documentation spread in seven of the eight countries where WYDs were held during John Paul II’s pontificate, the author argues that these mega-events, embedded in the globalization process, were an attempt to make globalization more inclusive. According to Mercier, Catholicism remain a globalizing force in the contemporary era.