SANCTIFYING OFFICE

Cardinal You Heung-sik has said relatively little about the liturgy. However, it is possible to gain some insight from his role and general perspectives on the priesthood and the life of the Church.

The Eucharist and Traditionis Custodes

The cardinal has stressed the importance of living out the Word of God in daily life, saying: “The important thing is to live the Word of God. We generally say that those who live the Word are Christians, and those who do not live it cannot call themselves Christians.”

He has also focused on priestly formation (see below), and has emphasized the need for priests who are “humanly, spiritually and intellectually mature.” This holistic approach to formation likely extends to how priests celebrate and lead the liturgy.

Preaching during the ordination liturgy of twenty-five new Opus Dei priests in 2023, Cardinal You Heung-sik stressed the importance of the Eucharist and reverence for the Mass. “You are not only to celebrate the Eucharist but to become Eucharist yourselves, in a life offered entirely for your brothers and sisters,” he told the ordinandi.

The cardinal, who is a member of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, has not taken a public position on Traditionis Custodes and the controversies surrounding it. The revival of the traditional Latin Mass has not been a widespread trend in South Korea and as such Heung-sik’s views largely remain a mystery.

When rumors circulated in 2023 that the Vatican would force reforms on seminaries belonging to the Traditional Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, an official at the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life stated that such a document would be the responsibility of the Dicastery for the Clergy (led by Heung-sik). The dicastery denied that such a document existed, however, pointing to the possibility that Heung-Sik has no interest in getting involved in attacks on traditional Latin Mass communities.

Vocations

As a bishop of Daejeon, Heung-sik had numerous vocations in his diocese with enough to spare, sending priests to other countries to help with evangelization efforts abroad.

Back in 2004, he said that from his diocese of Daejeon two priests had been sent to help with evangelization in Mongolia, others to Taiwan and one to Japan. “The Lord gives us abundant vocations and we send out priests and religious: from China we received Christianity and today we send missionaries to the Chinese people.”

Statistics of the Catholic Church in South Korea described fluctuating numbers of ordinations per year, but with vocations being relatively high for most of Heung-sik’s tenure (2005-2021). Although the diocese ordained 19 priests in 2011 and only five in 2016, the total number of priests in the diocese increased from 216 in 2006 to 373 in 2021, and the number of parishes increased from 107 to 143 in the same time period, emblematic of a general growth in the faith in South Korea and East Asia.

GOVERNING OFFICE

China

The cardinal has reacted positively to the Holy See’s secret accord with the Chinese Communist government allowing Beijing a voice in the nomination of bishops.

In 2018, when Cardinal Zen had already forcefully spoken out against the agreement which he deemed a betrayal of the underground Church, then Bishop You Heung-sik strongly praised it and expressed his enthusiasm that two Chinese bishops (one state-appointed) would be attending the Synod on Youth.¹The cardinal said: “When I read the agreement between the Holy See and China I was really happy because this result was much desired both by John Paul II and by Benedict XVI and by Francis. And they have always asked the Korean Church for help with evangelization in China, where Christianity entered thanks to our laity. In the past, it was not easy, but this news moved me. And then I came to Rome, where the two bishops and a priest arrived. I don’t speak Chinese, but I understand the writing quite well. I approached them at breakfast and lunch, I wrote my name in Chinese, we exchanged phone numbers and then slowly our relationship grew. For me they are brothers to be loved, and moreover brother bishops at the Synod, even more to be loved. They had some difficulties because it was their first time as participants in a Synod. They treated me as an older brother because I am older than them. I would gladly go where they live and I would like them to come to me.”

Heung-Sik has supported similar overtures towards North Korea. In “As the Lightning Comes From the East,” a short 2023 book-interview on his life as a layman, priest and bishop in South Korea, he mentioned that “some circles in South Korea consider him to be a “red bishop” because of his numerous trips to the Northern state. Heung-sik has even expressed his support of a visit of Pope Francis to North Korea.

The cardinal himself explained that such interactions with Communist North Korea are, in part, motivated by the fact that, while his father was presumed dead during the Korean War, he may have defected to the North as a Communist sympathizer.

Migration

As a bishop, Heung-sik has expressed sympathy for North Korean refugees, in contrast to many South Koreans who viewed them as a threat. He has said the refugees were “arriving in the south because their living conditions are terrible” and that this was not a problem, but rather an opportunity to be seized. The cardinal said:

“When dealing with these people, we must remember Christ’s teachings about brotherly love. We must show respect and practice charity as much as possible because refugees are our future. We cannot treat them just as guests, welcomed or otherwise, for they are an integral part of our life.”

He added: “It is sad to say this, but many South Koreans look upon them with suspicion, see them as deserving to be at the bottom of the social ladder. It is even sadder when you consider that these people have gone through terrible experiences.

The Church helps them using all the means at its disposal. For us, they are neither immigrants nor refugees, but our brothers.”

Abuse Scandals

The cardinal believes that proper priestly formation is key to countering abuse by priests, saying:

“I feel enormous pain in hearing about acts committed by priests against minors, such as pedophilia and abuse in general. I believe that if we succeed in forming priests who are humanly, spiritually and intellectually mature, they will not use sexuality for pure pleasure; they will not abuse minors. On the contrary, they will respect and help them, as indeed the vast majority of priests have done and do. So, the question is [how] to form solid and mature priests, and then — I am sure — we will finally hear less about abuse and other well-known evils.”

Heung-sik has also said he believes the majority of priests already provide sound and proper guidance to young Catholics:

Promoting a Synodal Church

The cardinal has been supportive of Francis’ curial reforms which he sees as closely connected with the Pope’s efforts to create a more synodal church.

Drawing on the new Apostolic Constitution for the curia, Praedicate Evangelium, he said “evangelization is done first of all through witness: the witness of charity, of brotherly love. Priests therefore should be the first to put into practice the spirit of Praedicate Evangelium, living, together with the communities entrusted to them, the reality of a synodal Church.”

He added that he believes it is his “task” to “live well the spirit of Praedicate Evangelium, so that the Church becomes, thanks to everyone’s commitment, more and more what God wants, and also appears more and more credible in the eyes of the world. And a synodal Church is the testimony of Her most beautiful face.”

Clergy and Laity Cooperation

Continuing on the synodal theme, the cardinal has emphasized the complementary roles of clergy and laity. In reference to the situation in Ireland, he spoke of the need for “a new mentality and new formative paths” because a priest is “often educated to become a solitary leader,” to be a “‘single man in command,’ and this is not good.”

“We are little and full of limits, but we are the Master’s disciples. Moved by him we can do many things. Not individually, but together, synodally. ‘We can only be missionary disciples,’ the Holy Father repeats, ‘all together,’” Heung-sik said.

He added:

“The Church is not reduced to bishops, priests, or religious men or women but also includes the laity, and families and together we make up the Church and together we walk forward… We all have different roles, but we are all Christians, which means that we are all called to live the Word of God. What does that mean to live the Word of God? It means to love God and to love our neighbour. This is the synodal Church.”

TEACHING OFFICE

Unbridled Competition and Declining Birth Rates

Heung-sik has spoken critically of the highly competitive nature of South Korean society. Addressing the Synod on Young People, he said:

“I see that they are challenged by difficulties. Since childhood they grow up in a highly competitive society. Competition thwarts fraternal relations, it casts off friendships and nurtures loneliness. But man inherently tends towards coexistence and interaction with others. We are also witnessing declining birth rates: families have one child, two at the most. This is reason for concern, because the family is a school of humanity, a place where we learn all the virtues and the art of living together.”

Martyrdom and Orthodoxy

When Pope Francis visited South Korea in 2014 for Asian World Youth Day, Heung-sik thought this would provide new energy to the Korean Church.

By Francis beginning his journey to Asia with a meeting with young people, he said it was “a sign of the future, and from a place where the memory of the martyrs is alive.” Martyrs, he continued, “are those who lived faith and life, orthodoxy and orthopraxy together. They are a model for us. May they who give their lives for the faith in many parts of Asia, be the model for the Church in the world and for young people.”

Ecumenism

Heung-sik has made few comments on ecumenism, but in 2007 he was forthright in criticizing Protestants over the release of Protestant hostages held captive in Afghanistan, expressing his disapproval of how some Protestant communities supported negotiations with Islamic terrorists to free them.

“The release of Protestant missionaries has set a dangerous precedent,” he said. “Our government humiliated itself by dealing with fundamentalists. Now they can think they can do the same with other hostages. At the same time, the agreement humiliated Protestant churches who have been much criticised at home for their action abroad and for the ransom many think they paid.”

He further criticised Korean Protestants for the conversion methods they employed:

“Korean Protestants are sometimes themselves fundamentalist and aggressive in their faith,” he remarked. “They talk about social service but in reality seek conversions, often forcefully. This is no true evangelical spirit; it is not true mission. Now, many have come to realize this here (in South Korea) as well.”

Traditional Family

Heung-sik has defended the traditional family against attacks, although his comments were made some time ago — in 2004. “With the traditional family model in crisis we urgently need to reaffirm the traditional Christian family, a domestic church which gives Jesus in the education of children and is the only anchor of safety against the break-up of modern families,” he said.

Criticism of Traditionalism?

More recently, Heung-sik has criticized what he calls “the nostalgia of traditionalism,” saying in 2023 that it conceals the “desire to return to a society in which the priest was ‘somebody.’” He invited priests to “have the courage” to go “against the tide” of a vision in which their “authority is always accompanied by visible signs of power and wealth” – what Francis denounces as “clericalism.”

He lamented that Christianity is often too focused on norms and “external and organizational aspects,” which causes it to lose “its flavor.” He therefore invites Christians to do “a little self-criticism” and to listen to their times to find new ways of evangelization.

He argued that in the West, Catholicism “perhaps needs new readings of reality and people’s lives, to reformulate the demands on God in a new mode.”

Seminaries

Heung-sik has said he wants seminaries to be “less authoritarian” and is wary of priests being too focused on having their authority accompanied by worldly wealth or power. He would like women and lay people to be more present in seminaries, and urges priests not to have an “idealized vision” of the priesthood, but rather adapt it to the social and cultural context with which he finds himself confronted, with “patience.”

The Priesthood

The prefect of the dicastery for clergy has defended the priesthood and criticized a one-sided negative portrayal of it in the media, arguing instead that the majority of priests provide a great service.

“The priesthood is a great gift from God,” he said in 2022. “Often the media bombard listeners with news about priests that is not always good…. Yet I see that there are so many heroic, good priests: parish priests, missionaries serving God’s people, especially those marginalized by society.”

With regards to Pope Francis’ criticism of clericalism, Heung-sik has emphasized that priests preside over the community and have an important leading role as a father, but that problems arise when this role is made absolute and when they are no longer also a member and a “child of the community.”

“Without community, there can be no ministerial priesthood,” he said. “But the priest is also a child of the community, a companion of the community, in the sense that he walks together with it, eating the same Bread.”

He continued:

“So, when the role of the priest-father is absolutized, that is where clericalism can come from. When, on the other hand, a good priest is, yes, a father, but he also feels in his heart that he is a son and a brother, then he will love the community with his whole self, devote himself to it full-time, and not waste time chasing personal aspirations and ambitions. The important thing is to live this Trinitarian life together with the community.”

The cardinal is well aware that the Church cannot do without priests. “Each continent experiences its own situation, but it is impossible to think of a Church without priests,” he said. “Therefore, the whole People of God must prayerfully invoke the gift of new priests. This is my hope. And I am sure that the Lord will soon give us this grace and show us the way.”

In the same 2022 interview, he stated that the faith was initially spread in Korea by lay people, with priests not holding exclusive priority.

“Korea’s Christian history is a history of martyrs, and many of them received the faith as a gift through the witness of lay believers,” he said. “Then, in more recent times, it is true that vocations to the priesthood have increased, but they are currently declining there as well, although the Church remains very committed to promoting and accompanying vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, both male and female.”

Heung-sik also described in his 2023 book interview his surprise when interacting with European bishops at how pessimistically they responded to secular trends in Europe. “We are called to rediscover the vigor and enthusiasm of a new proclamation of the Gospel,” Heung-sik said, stating that there are no “easy recipes” for this, but rejecting a focus that is too concentrated on “external and organizational aspects” cause it to lose “its flavor.”

Priestly Formation

As mentioned above, based on his own time as a seminary rector, the cardinal desires a process of formation which is freer and less “authoritarian” and with a return to the “centrality of the Word.” Furthermore, he wants women and lay people to have greater roles within seminaries.

Heung-sik has spoken of the importance of proper priestly formation.“As rector of Daejeon seminary I would always ask students if they were willing and able to go out to the world to follow and proclaim Christ: it is important for them to be psychologically and spiritually prepared,” he said.

He continued:

“At present we have focussed attention on the Proclamation of the Word of God to counter phenomena such as materialism, hedonism, secularisation, indifference to religious values. We realise the urgent need to announce the Gospel to non-Christians. But, as Evangelii Nuntiandi affirms, to do this we must be authentic Christians who live the Gospel in daily life: only then will the life of individual Christians be witness, leaven in society.”

In February 2024, Cardinal Heung-sik emphasized the importance of continuous support and formation for clergy throughout their ministry. “I remember you every day in my daily prayers,” he told priests in a 2024 interview with Vatican News. He said it was crucial that priests are not left “alone” during their ministry but are instead “accompanied.”

The cardinal noted that many priests today feel lonely and isolated, and said that the conference was an opportunity for them to “share their lives” and “go forward together.”

Celibacy

Heung-Sik spoke as prefect of the importance of proper priestly formation to prepare candidates for the celibate life. He spoke of the importance of living community life well even in seminaries with small numbers. “If celibacy also means renouncing a human family in order to form a larger one, however, this awareness must be born and developed in the hearts of candidates for the priesthood already in the early years of formation,” he said in 2022.

In 2024 he again reaffirmed the discipline of celibacy and said the ordination of married men would not solve the vocation crisis, but that instead true witness to the faith was needed. He made the comments shortly after Archbishop Charles Scicluna from Malta had suggested allowing priests to marry even after ordination, as a way to have more priests. “If that were the case, take for example the Orthodox Church, they would be flourishing in terms of vocations, but we have to look at the reality,” he said. “I say to the lay faithful to have more children and to promote vocations in their families and among their children.

“Not wanting to cause any controversy obviously, but there are those who are shouting aloud, their voices are quite loud in the public forum, and they would not be stepping up to encourage their son or their daughter to pursue a religious life.”

Opposition to Divorce

Heung-Sikl has been critical of modern trends in Korea, including new religious movements, attacks on the family, and the normalization of divorce. “Practical atheism, materialism is rampant and inhibits Christianity,” he said in 2014. “This is because even in Korea, bit by bit, the family and the educational capacity of fathers and mothers is being destroyed. Once in Korea, it was a shame to divorce. Now it’s something to boast about. Among Catholics, the average number of divorces is slightly lower than the national average.”

But in his personal autobiography published in early 2023, the Korean prelate warned against sterile disputes and affirmed that the question of divorced-married couples must be considered “according to the only absolute value that is love.”

“In the Church, we must remember this: it is better to be imperfect in communion than to be perfect in disunity,” he said.

Heung-sik held up the early Christian communities that emerged after Christ’s death and resurrection as an example.

In response to a widespread controversy in late 2020 following the documentary ‘Francesco,’ which suggested Pope Francis would have approved gay unions, the diocese under Heung-sik posted a clarification stressing the context of the alleged statements. The cardinal has not to date made any public comment on Fiducia Supplicans that allowed non-liturgical blessings of same-sex couples.

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  The cardinal said: “When I read the agreement between the Holy See and China I was really happy because this result was much desired both by John Paul II and by Benedict XVI and by Francis. And they have always asked the Korean Church for help with evangelization in China, where Christianity entered thanks to our laity. In the past, it was not easy, but this news moved me. And then I came to Rome, where the two bishops and a priest arrived. I don’t speak Chinese, but I understand the writing quite well. I approached them at breakfast and lunch, I wrote my name in Chinese, we exchanged phone numbers and then slowly our relationship grew. For me they are brothers to be loved, and moreover brother bishops at the Synod, even more to be loved. They had some difficulties because it was their first time as participants in a Synod. They treated me as an older brother because I am older than them. I would gladly go where they live and I would like them to come to me.”