WORLD 21/06/11 South Korean bishop named Vatican's prefect for clergy

[성기화 요셉]

South Korean bishop named Vatican's prefect for clergy

The appointment comes days after Pope Francis asked an Italian bishop to conduct an official visit of the Congregation for Clergy

Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service 

Published: June 12, 2021 05:06 AM GMT ▾

Trending

1

Church faces its moment of truth over Hong Kong's repressionJun 9, 2021

2

Cardinal Marx's offer to quit is a wake-up call for Asian bishops Jun 9, 2021

3

A passionate mother of transgender people in IndiaJun 10, 2021

4

US ambassador urges Cambodia to respect 'fundamental freedoms'Jun 9, 2021

5

Uyghur exiles recall horrific crimes in ChinaJun 11, 2021

6

Cambodian soldiers open fire on land protestersJun 9, 2021

7

Persecuted Christians and pastoral care in PakistanJun 10, 2021

8

Myanmar Church calls for end to attacks on places of worshipJun 9, 2021

9

Do we still remember the Sacred Heart of Jesus?Jun 11, 2021

10

Uphill battle for survival for religious, ethnic minorities in AsiaJun 11, 2021

Bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik of Daejeon, the new prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Clergy. (Photo: vaticannews)

Pope Francis has appointed South Korean Bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik of Daejeon as the new prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Clergy.

The Vatican made the announcement June 11, adding that the outgoing prefect, Italian Cardinal Beniamino Stella, 79, would remain at the congregation until the new prefect could assume his role.

The new prefect has also been made an archbishop, the Vatican added.

Born Nov. 17, 1951, in Nonsan, Archbishop You studied in Seoul and in Rome, where he received his doctorate in dogmatic theology at the Pontifical Lateran University.

He was ordained to the priesthood in 1979 and served in a variety of positions in the Diocese of Daejeon, including spiritual director, professor and finally president of the Catholic University of Daejeon.

St. John Paul II named him coadjutor bishop of Daejeon in 2003 and he became head of the diocese in 2005.

Within the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, he has been a member of many commissions, including those for mission and pastoral care, social affairs, and the pastoral care of migrants and foreign residents. He was president of the bishops' committee for Caritas Korea from 2004 to 2008.

He has been a member of the conference's Commission for Clergy and Religious since 2005 and had been a member of the Pontifical Council for "Cor Unum" until it was absorbed by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in 2017.

Archbishop You hosted events held in Daejeon as part of the Sixth Asian Youth Day, sponsored by the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, and attended by Pope Francis in 2014.

The appointment comes just a few days after Pope Francis announced he had asked Bishop Egidio Miragoli of Mondovì, Italy, to conduct an official visit of the Congregation for Clergy, a move he had also made before naming a new prefect for the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments.

Related News

-

Pope Sends Letter to North Korean Catholics

Korean dioceses end mercy year with calls for more charity

As tensions mount in Korea, bishops pray for peace

Pope orders visit of clergy congregation before prefect retires

Cardinal Stella will reach the mandatory retirement age of 80 Aug. 18. He was appointed prefect by Pope Francis in September 2013.

The congregation coordinates and promotes the training of candidates for the permanent diaconate and diocesan priesthood and their ongoing formation after ordination. It also handles the requests of diocesan priests and deacons seeking dispensations from their ministerial obligations, promotes the active functioning of presbyteral and parish councils and is involved with safeguarding the use of church assets.