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Pope Leo willing to visit N. Korea for peace on Korean Peninsula, Cardinal You says
Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy, speaks during a press conference at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea in Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin
By Lee Hae-rin
Feasibility of historic papal visit to N. Korea depends on Pyongyang’s stance
Cardinal You Heung-sik said Friday that Pope Leo is willing to visit North Korea in an attempt to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula, yet whether the papal visit to the North can happen will "depend entirely on what stances it chooses to take."
Speaking at a press conference in Seoul, where he spends his summer vacation, the Vatican Dicastery for Clergy prefect said Leo “has the will to be ready for anything for the sake of peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
The cardinal's comments came about two weeks after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung visited Vatican City, where he requested the pope visit North Korea. Lee was among a small number of South Korean presidents who have asked for a papal visit to Pyongyang. No such visit has yet happened.
“(Since the pope's inauguration) whenever I had the chance, I shared this hope with him,” You added. “The pope replied that he too hoped it would turn out that way — if there is anything he can do for peace on the Korean Peninsula, he is ready to do it.”
You said the pope now “waits for that day to come quickly,” and that the papal visit, if realized, would be both a duty and dream for him as a Korean Vatican prefect.
North Korea has a small community of Catholics and even a Catholic church in Pyongyang, but doesn't have official relations with the Vatican.
“At present North Korea has Protestant pastors, Buddhist monks and Russian Orthodox priests, but not a single Catholic bishop, priest or nun,” You noted, adding that even foreign diplomats posted in Pyongyang who are Catholic struggle to practice their faith. “If at least two priests could reside in North Korea, the possibility of a papal visit would grow."
In 2000, following an inter-Korean summit, North Korea invited Pope John Paul II, but the visit didn't happen.
President Lee Jae Myung shakes hands with Pope Leo at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City, June 15. During their private meeting, Lee formally asked the pope to visit North Korea during his expected trip to Seoul for World Youth Day in August 2027, urging the Catholic Church to play a role in advancing peace on the Korean Peninsula. The Holy See reaffirmed its unwavering support for inter-Korean peace efforts. Courtesy of Vatican Media
Regarding the 2027 World Youth Day, a gathering of young Catholic believers from around the world, set to take place in Seoul, You said the fact the Korean capital is the host signals Korea's growing influence in the Catholic community.
You asked for the Korean government's cooperation in issuing visas for those who wish to participate in the event, especially those from developing countries.
“Of course some may overstay, and we must accept that risk,” he said. “But if a poor, honest young person can gain hope and courage by coming here, sharing a bit of our wealth with them is a great blessing for us as well."
Regarding the prospect of a new Korean cardinal to be appointed, You would not elaborate, but said, “With the Seoul World Youth Day ahead, I hope an appointment of a Korean cardinal will indeed take place.”
Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy, speaks during a press conference at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap
In 2021, You was tapped as prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Clergy while serving as bishop of the Daejeon Diocese, becoming the first Korean to lead a Vatican dicastery. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals in 2022, the fourth Korean to be named a cardinal.