Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for the Clergy, said whether Pope Leo XIV visits North Korea next year depends on Pyongyang's stance. He also advised that a resident Catholic priest in North Korea could raise the likelihood of a papal visit.
You, who visited Korea for his summer vacation, spoke Sunday at a press conference held at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. "Whether Pope Leo XIV's visit to North Korea can be realized depends on North Korea's stance," he said, adding that "it will also be affected by developments in North Korea-U.S. relations." President Lee Jae-myung met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican last month and asked the pope, who is expected to visit Korea next year for the Seoul World Youth Day, to also pursue a visit to North Korea.
You explained that Pope Leo XIV, like his predecessor Pope Francis, has tremendous interest in peace on the Korean Peninsula. "When Pope Leo XIV was elected last year, I received a strong inspiration that the pope would do great things for peace on the Korean Peninsula," he said. "When I conveyed this hope, the pope replied, 'I would like that to happen too.'" As a realistic condition for a papal visit to North Korea, and while noting it was his personal view, he said, "There are Protestant pastors, Buddhist monks, and Russian Orthodox priests in North Korea, but not a single Catholic bishop, priest, or nun." He added, "If there were one or two resident priests at Jangchung Cathedral in Pyongyang, it would play a big role in creating the mood (for a papal visit)."
Regarding the possibility of appointing a new Korean cardinal, he was reserved, saying it was "a matter for the pope to decide." During his meeting with Pope Leo XIV last month, President Lee conveyed the Korean Catholic community's wish for a serving cardinal to be appointed to a domestic diocese. The pope responded at the time, "If a new cardinal is to be appointed, I will give special consideration to Korea's circumstances." You said, "President Lee conveyed the message to the pope very accurately," adding, "Since the pope has not yet appointed a cardinal after taking office, he seems likely to make an announcement soon." He also said, "It is my hope that a Korean cardinal appointment will take place ahead of the major event of next year's World Youth Day."
Regarding the Catholic World Youth Day to be held in Seoul next August, he said, "I understand that the Vatican and the Korean Catholic Church are preparing well through step-by-step dialogue," adding, "Above all, it is important that young people from around the world who visit Korea leave feeling they received great love from Koreans." He continued, "Young people from poor countries say it is not easy to obtain visas, making it difficult to come to Korea," and added, "I hope our government will issue visas to young people who have received confirmation letters from the bishops of their countries."
On the phenomenon of young people leaving religion, he stressed, "It is an issue that the entire Catholic Church, including the pope, is grappling with," and "the Church must first listen to young people and understand what they want." You then shared an Italian proverb: "There is plenty of smoke, but no meat at all (because it has all burned away)." His point was that rather than only offering good words to young people, the Church must demonstrate faith through concrete evidence of life.
You was appointed as the first Korean to serve as Prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for the Clergy in 2021, and in 2022 became the fourth cardinal in the history of Korean Catholicism, following Cardinals Kim Sou-hwan, Cheong Jin-suk, and Yeom Soo-jung.
