Cardinal You hopes President Lee Jae Myung will meet Pope Leo XIV this year
Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik speaks during a press conference at Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy at the Vatican, shared his special ties with the newly elected Pope Leo XIV and expressed hope that President Lee Jae Myung can visit the Vatican within the year for a meeting with the pontiff.
“Before he became Pope, we lived on different floors of the same apartment building in the Vatican, so we often ran into each other,” You said during a press conference at Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea in Seoul, Thursday.
“I’d joke about whether my footsteps were too loud and we’d laugh together.”
The cardinal said the new Pope has visited Korea multiple times and has a high level of understanding of the country’s history and current affairs.
“I have already conveyed to President Lee my hope that he visits the Vatican this year,” You said. “Pope Leo XIV has shown great interest in Korea and I believe he can contribute meaningfully to peace on the Korean Peninsula and dialogue between North Korea and the U.S.”
The cardinal confirmed that he personally delivered two letters from President Lee — one when Lee was a presidential candidate and another after his inauguration — to Pope Leo XIV.
“He was very pleased to receive the letters,” You said, adding that the pontiff expressed a desire to strengthen Korea-Vatican ties, especially with the new administration.
Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, left, sits next to Pope Leo XIV as the pontiff speaks during a meeting of priests promoted by the Dicastery for the Clergy at the Auditorium Conciliazione in Rome, June 26. AFP-Yonhap
Cardinal You made history in June 2021 when he was appointed prefect of the congregation for the clergy while serving as Bishop of Daejeon, marking the first time a Korean was named to a high-ranking Vatican position. In 2022, he became the fourth Korean to be elevated to cardinal.
He is currently back in Korea for summer vacation and is scheduled to return to Rome on July 31.
Comparing the late Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21, with the new pontiff, You said, “While Pope Francis was a very progressive person, Pope Leo XIV is a good listener.”
Pope Leo XIV is expected to make an official visit to Korea in 2027 for World Youth Day (WYD) in Seoul, a massive global Catholic event for the youth.
You expressed his hope that the 2027 event would highlight inter-Korean peace, Korea as a nation of martyrs, K-pop and cutting-edge technologies of the nation.
“When the Pope visits Korea, naturally, as a Korean, I will have a role to play,” he said. “Having participated in several WYD events since the one in Spain in 2011, I believe I can be of assistance.”