The South Korean president met with the cardinal, prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy. He is hoping to meet Leo XIV soon and that the pope’s 2027 visit for WYD will be an historic step towards thaw and peace in the Peninsula. Speaking to reporters, the cardinal said that the WYD is “a great opportunity to make the spirit of martyrdom known to young people”. During the weeks of chaos over the attempted imposition of martial law, Pope Francis prayed for South Korea.

Rome (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Pope Leo XIV is expected in South Korea for the next World Youth Day (WYD), which will be held in Seoul in 2027.

Today, South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae-myung, met with Card Lazarus You Heung-sik, prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, who is back in his native country for a period of rest. During the tête-à-tête, he expressed hope that the pontiff might make a stop in North Korea on his way to the WYD to promote a thaw and peace in the Korean Peninsula.

Lee also expressed the desire to "meet the Pope before 2027", while the cardinal invited Lee on Pope Leo XIV’s behalf to visit Rome.

A papal visit to Pyongyang, while politically hard to envisage at this point in time, would represent an important sign, supported by the Catholic Church’s commitment to dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflicts in the world.

“I hope the Holy See can make a special contribution to improving inter-Korean relations even before 2027," Lee said.

If Pope Leo XIV’s presence at the 41st WYD is confirmed, the second one in Asia after the Philippines in 1995, he will be the third pontiff to visit the country. Saint John Paul II visited South Korea in 1984 and Pope Francis in 2014.

In the week following Pope Francis’s death, AsiaNews reported how this last trip was still a vivid memory among South Koreans who were in Rome for a final farewell to the Argentinian pontiff.  “It was a special presence.”

Before the meeting with President Lee last Thursday, Card Lazarus You Heung-sik took part in a press conference at the headquarters of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea (CBCK), describing the intense weeks of Pope Francis’s death, the conclave and the start of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate in Rome.

The cardinal has served the Holy See in Rome since 2021 as head of the Dicastery for the Clergy. Regarding the WYD in Seoul, he spoke about the exchanges he had with Leo, which follow those with Pope Francis.

“The Korean Church is founded on the faith of the martyrs; for this reason, I emphasised that it will be a great opportunity to make the spirit of martyrdom known to young people around the world,” Card You explained.

The prelate also touched on the topic of peace with the pontiff. “I expect him to contribute significantly not only to relations between the two Koreas, but also between North Korea and the United States, and more generally to peace on the Peninsula,” he said. “The Pope has a very positive image of our country.”

Reconciliation must start, however, with courageous actions by politicians and governments. “If they listen more to the voice of the people, build bridges through dialogue and sincerely commit themselves to the weakest, then they will be able to make an important contribution to the healing of a divided society,” he added.

“Pope Francis called me ‘the smiling cardinal’. In the Curia I am known as a person who smiles often and who lives in friendship with everyone,” he noted.

The last major event of the Holy Year in which the cardinal participated was the Jubilee of Seminarians and Priests, in which the Dicastery for the Clergy promoted a meeting centred on the theme “Happy Priests.”

“When a priest is happy, he can give more happiness to many and attract young people to the priestly vocation,” Card You said.

The prelate’s work in Rome led him to collaborate often with then Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, head of the Dicastery for Bishops; in addition, the two lived at the same place, the Palazzo del Sant’Uffizio.

On his election he said: “After the conclave, many wondered how it was possible that an American could be elected pope. But I believe that the cardinal electors did not see him only as an ‘American’, but as a ‘missionary’ [. . .] in the poorest areas, and that is why they chose him.”

Finally, Card Lazarus You Heung-sik also shared his prayer intentions in the meeting with the press on 3 July.

“First of all, I pray for the pope. Since I am close to him, I pray that he may listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and guide not only the Church, but all humanity,” he said.

But prayers are also for South Korea, which has overcome the crisis caused by the attempted coup last 3 December, when then President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law.

The cardinal explained that he has had many questions from the cardinals on this matter. “Pope Francis himself told me: ‘How was it possible that certain things could happen in Korea? I too will pray that Korea comes through this crisis’.”

“Every time I had those questions, honestly, I felt very ashamed.” Now, he says, “with pride,” the country has overcome this dark moment “without shedding a single drop of blood.”

“I pray that Korea truly becomes an advanced country in the true sense of the word: a country that knows how to give to others and live well together.”

• south korea
• north korea
• world youth day
• seoul 2027
• card lazarus you heung-sik
• lee jae-myung