Korean Church expresses joy with Bishop Lazarus’ appointment

Jun 19, 2021

SEOUL: Cardinal Andrew Yeom has sent a congratulatory message to  Archbishop Lazarus You Heung-sik, Bishop of Daejeon, Korea, who was appointed as Prefect of the Congregation for Clergy by Pope Francis on June 11. 

In his message, Cardinal Yeom  expressed joy at the news and said  that it was a great gift for the Catholic Church in Korea for the Jubilee of  the 200th anniversary of the birth St  Andrew Kim Tae-gon, the first native Catholic priest and patron saint  of Korea. 

And, he added, “I sincerely hope  that Archbishop You will assist the  Holy Father in fulfilling his papal duties with deep spirituality, exceptional ability and communication skills.”  Cardinal Yeom lastly thanked the  Pope for appointing a Korean bishop  to Vatican secretary position. 

Fr Matthias Young-yup Hur,  spokesperson for the Archdiocese of  Seoul, remarked that it had come as  a surprise that a Korean bishop has  been appointed for the first time to  a secretary position in the Holy See.

“The Korean Catholic Church,  which used to receive aid from other  countries, has experienced rapid  growth based on fraternal solidarity  and is playing a leading role in the  Catholic Church around the world.  The new appointment of Archbishop  You would be an opportunity for our  Church to renew commitment to  communicating with the other Catholic communities in the world while  also rethinking how we can provide  support for those in need.” 

The number of Roman Catholics  in South Korea was 5,923,300 as at  the end 2020, according to the annual statistics compiled by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea  (CBCK).  While Protestants make up the  majority, the Catholic Church also  has a significant following, and is  estimated to be 11 per cent of the  population. — Archdiocese of Seoul