Cardinal Says Pope Leo XIV Interested in Korean Peninsula Peace

Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik said on July 3 that Pope Leo XIV is very interested in peace on the Korean Peninsula. The cardinal, prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for the Clergy, made the remarks at a press conference in Seoul. You said the possibility of a papal trip to Pyongyang would depend largely on North Korea's stance and broader relations between Washington and Pyongyang.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on June 15 and invited the pope to visit South Korea for World Youth Day in Seoul in 2027. The possibility of a papal visit to North Korea was also discussed during that meeting. You stated that Pope Leo XIV shares a similar level of interest in Korean Peninsula peace as Pope Francis.

"When Pope Leo XIV was elected last year, I had a strong intuition that he would do something for peace on the Korean Peninsula," You said. " The cardinal noted there are no Catholic clergy in North Korea, though Protestant pastors, Buddhist monks and Russian Orthodox priests are present. He said Catholics live in North Korea and among foreign diplomats stationed there.

You proposed that one or two resident priests could be stationed at Jangchung Cathedral in Pyongyang to help create conditions for a papal visit. Pope Leo XIV has not named any new cardinals since his election. South Korea currently has two living cardinals: Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, who retired as archbishop of Seoul in 2021, and Cardinal You, who is stationed at the Vatican.

You called on the South Korean government to ease visa requirements for participants in World Youth Day 2027.