Lazarus You Heung-sik was born on 17 November 1951 in Nonsan, South Chungcheong, South Korea, and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Daejeon on 8 December 1979. After parish and diocesan assignments he taught at the Catholic University of Daejeon and served as its president from 1998 to 2003.
He became coadjutor bishop of Daejeon on 24 June 2003 and succeeded as bishop two years later, in 2005. He chaired the Peace Committee of the Korean Bishops’ Conference and visited North Korea four times, carrying a prayer for peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. In August 2014 he welcomed Pope Francis to Daejeon for the Sixth Asian Youth Day, and in October 2018 he took part, at the Holy Father’s request, in the Synod of Bishops on youth.
On 11 June 2021 Francis appointed him prefect of the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Clergy, with the title of archbishop-bishop emeritus of Daejeon — the first Korean to head a dicastery of the Roman Curia. He was created cardinal in the consistory of 27 August 2022 and assigned the deaconry of Gesù Buon Pastore alla Montagnola. As prefect he has centred his work on the ongoing formation and accompaniment of priests, and he participated as an elector in the 2025 conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.
Consequential Quotes
Dear brother priests, I remember you every day in my daily prayers.
Before thinking of any religious or spiritual dimension, I would say this: vocation is essentially the call to be happy, to take one’s own life into one’s hands, to live it to the fullest and not waste it. This is God’s first desire for every man and woman, for each one of us: that our life not die out, that it not be lost, that it shine as much as possible.
The world, society and the Church need profoundly human priests, whose spiritual style is summed up in Jesus’ same style: not a spirituality which separates us from others or makes us cold masters of an abstract truth, but the capacity to embody God’s closeness to humanity, His love for every creature, His compassion for whomsoever is marked by life’s wounds.
It is important for us that there are many good, heroic priests in the world, who carry out their activity like good shepherds.
No priest can exist and work alone, but all are inserted into ecclesial communion and all live the same mission together with the other ordained ministers and the holy people of God.
Fidelity, in fact, is the very measure of charity. True and authentic love, not centred on oneself, is nourished primarily by the Word of God and lives on small and great acts of fidelity.
Major Works & Initiatives
President of the Catholic University of Daejeon
President of the Catholic University of Daejeon from 1998 to 2003, after serving there as spiritual director and professor from 1994.
Head of Caritas Korea and bishops’ Peace Committee chairman
Led Caritas Korea from 2004 to 2008 and chaired the Korean bishops’ Peace Committee, visiting North Korea four times in pursuit of peace and reconciliation on the peninsula.
Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy
Appointed prefect on 11 June 2021 by Pope Francis (he took up the post on 2 August 2021), the first Korean to lead a department of the Roman Curia, responsible for diocesan priests, deacons and seminaries worldwide.
International conference on the ongoing formation of priests
His dicastery convened some 1,000 experts from more than 60 countries in Rome on 6–10 February 2024 on ongoing formation for priests, and co-sponsored the ‘Parish Priests for the Synod’ world meeting on 28 April–2 May 2024.
Controversies
On the record
No significant public controversies reported.
Sources
- Holy See Press Office — biography
- Wikipedia
- Dicastery for the Clergy (Vatican News) — I pray for my fellow priests every day
- Dicastery for the Clergy (Vatican News) — A conversation with the Prefect: Called to be Happy
- Dicastery for the Clergy (Vatican News) — Pope invites priests to fraternity
- Herald Malaysia (CNA) — New cardinal and clergy chief: ‘My role is to encourage priests’