Korean Cardinal You Heung-sik named top contender to succeed Pope Francis

Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, the first Korean to serve as a Vatican prefect, has been named one of the top candidates to succeed Pope Francis, according to the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, left, and late Pope Francis in 2014 during the pope's visit to Korea. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, the first Korean to serve as a Vatican prefect, has been named one of the top candidates to succeed Pope Francis, according to the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.

In an article published on Wednesday, Corriere della Sera listed 12 leading contenders ahead of the next papal conclave — the secret gathering of cardinals to elect a new pope.

Other candidates include Cardinals Pietro Parolin, Matteo Zuppi and Pierbattista Pizzaballa from Italy, Fridolin Ambongo Besungu from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Blase Cupich and Joseph Tobin from the United States, Péter Erdo of Hungary, Anders Arborelius of Sweden, Jean-Marc Aveline of France, Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines and Juan José Omella of Spain.

Only three of the 12 are from Italy, while the remaining nine are from outside the country. Among the Asian candidates are Cardinals Tagle and You.

Corriere della Sera described Cardinal You as “a member of the Focolare Movement who sought reconciliation between the two Koreas.”

The paper also introduced his background: “Born Nov. 17, 1951, in Nonsan, South Chungcheong. Ordained in 1979 in Rome with a doctorate in dogmatic theology. As bishop of the Daejeon Diocese, he promoted inter-Korean exchanges and made four visits to North Korea. Appointed prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy in 2021 and made a cardinal in 2022. A figure who seeks dialogue for peace and reconciliation.”

The Focolare Movement — which means “hearth” in Italian — was founded in 1943 in Trento, northern Italy, by an elementary school teacher named Chiara Lubich, who was moved by the destruction of World War II and sought to live out Christian love through unity. Lubich and a group of young women began living communally, which eventually grew into a global lay Catholic organization officially recognized by the Vatican under the name “Work of Mary.”

The movement expanded across Europe and the Americas in the 1950s and was introduced to Korea in 1969.

The Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera listed 12 leading contenders ahead of the next papal conclave on Wednesday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Cardinal You was appointed in June 2021 as Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy — the first Korean to hold such a high-ranking position in the Roman Curia. He is known within the Vatican for his strong administrative skills and open, down-to-earth leadership style.

Now 73, Cardinal You is eligible to vote and be elected in the upcoming conclave.

Corriere della Sera, in addition to being Italy’s most widely read daily, is known for its strong connections within the Vatican and is considered a prominent outlet among the global Catholic community.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY LEE JI-YOUNG [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]