Bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik assumes the role of succeeding Cardinal Beniamino Stella, whose resignation was accepted by the Pontiff due to age.

Vatican City (11/06/2021 11:42, Gaudium Press), Bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik of Daejeon, South Korea, has been named by Pope Francis as the new prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy. The prelate succeeds Cardinal Beniamino Stella, whose resignation was accepted by the Pontiff due to age.

Bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik

Bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik was born in 1951 and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Daejeon, where he became a coadjutor in 2003 and two years later assumed its pastoral government. He was also the head of the Peace Committee of the Korean Bishops’ Conference, visiting North Korea four times.

Appointment awaited

This appointment to the Congregation for the Clergy was long-awaited, as the current prefect, Cardinal Beniamino Stella, will turn eighty years old next August 18. Stella’s appointment came in September 2013, a few months after the election of Pope Francis.

The Pope’s attention to the Asian continent

Cardinal Stella will remain in charge of the Congregation until the new perfect takes office. It is important to note that the choice of a Korean bishop for the Congregation for the Clergy follows that of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle at the head of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, which shows Pope Francis’ attention to the Asian continent. (EPC)