'I'm willing to die for the Pope and the Church,' says new Cardinal You

Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik becomes Korea's fourth cardinal

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik, the prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, as cardinal, the second most senior position among the ranks of the Roman Catholic clergy after the pope.

You is Korea's fourth cardinal following late Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan in 1969, the late Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk in 2006 and Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung in 2014.

At a consistory held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Saturday, You and 19 other men were named as the Catholic Church's newest cardinals. You was the second to be called after Cardinal Arthur Roche of England, and after receiving a red biretta and a cardinal's ring, he briefly spoke with Pope Francis and shared a hug.

“The Pope said 'Let's move forward together,' and I told him 'I am willing to die for the Pope and the Church.' I always include that expression when starting a letter to the Pope,” You told Korean press after the ceremony.

This was the eighth appointment of cardinals by Pope Francis since his inauguration in 2013. The addition of the 20 new cardinals will raise the number of cardinals in the world to 226. Among them, 132 are 80 years old or less. They have the right to elect a new pope when the pontiff passes away. You, 71, and Yeom, 79, are currently qualified to elect a new pope.

Born in 1951, You chose to pursue the priesthood at the age 16. He was ordained in 1979 after graduating from Pontifical Lateran University in Rome with a degree in theology. Due to this background, You speaks Italian fluently and he has developed a substantial network within the Vatican. After returning to Korea in 1983, You was appointed as coadjutor bishop of Daejeon in 2003 and became the diocesan bishop of that city in 2005.

Since June 2021, he has been serving as the prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons. He became the first Korean to be appointed to a secretary position at the Vatican.

He also served as president of the Justice and Peace Committee for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea and traveled to North Korea four times. Having engaged in a number of North Korean humanitarian aid projects, including serving as the head of Caritas Korea (an NGO under the Vatican) from 2004 to 2008, You has made a lot of efforts to arrange a papal trip to the North.

A delegation of lawmakers and government officials, led by First Vice Culture Minister Jeon Byung-geuk, visited the Vatican to attend the ceremony.

President Yoon Seok-yeol sent a congratulatory message to Pope Francis, which read, “Together with the people, I sincerely congratulate you on appointing 20 new cardinals, including You. After appointing You to a secretary position at the Vatican last year and then naming him as the fourth Korean cardinal, we share this joy with Catholics around the world.”

He added, “Thank you for showing special affection and interest in Korea and praying for peace and harmony on the Korean Peninsula. I look forward to developing closer ties with the Holy See as we near the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year.”