A South Korean, the prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, met the founder of the Movement in 1975. He has remained in contact with her ever since. He spoke a bit about himself during the homily at the Mass celebrated at Theotokos on March 14.
By Paolo Lòriga
It was April 2021. The South Korean bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik had come to Rome for a matter relating to the canonisation of a group of Korean martyrs. He had a private audience with Pope Francis. “He asked me to come to the Vatican as Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy”, that is, head of the Holy See’s department responsible for priests and permanent deacons worldwide. He replied to the Pope: “I don’t speak many languages, I’m not a great theologian, I don’t know the Roman Curia. I’m a farmer from the Far East”. And the Pope replied: “Ask the Holy Spirit, pray to Mary and the Korean martyrs, reflect, say nothing, and then come back to me.”
His mind was in turmoil: “I felt like saying ‘no’, but if Chiara Lubich were here, what would she say to me?” Returning to Pope Francis, he offered his full availability. But he asked what lay ahead for him. And the Pope, without hesitation: “The Cross” and he embraced him tightly. The Cardinal comments: “A new adventure began, a very beautiful one too. But that ‘yes’ comes at a great cost. How many nights I have wept, yet I always start afresh, remembering to know how to lose, to love Jesus Forsaken – the soul of my life – and through the commitment to live the present moment.”
The cardinal spoke about himself during his homily in the crowded Maria Theotokos sanctuary. He presided over Mass on 14 March, led by Gen Verde, on the 18th anniversary of Chiara Lubich’s death. He met her personally in Rome, having arrived in 1975 to attend the Focolare Movement’s school for priests and to study for his doctorate in Theology at the Lateran University. He was ordained a priest on 8 December 1979, returned to South Korea in 1983, and became bishop of his diocese in 2003.
The role of prefect of such a Dicastery is decidedly challenging, yet he remains serene, confident and a source of initiatives. “My life is also simple. I had a wonderful relationship with Pope Francis and, now, I also have a wonderful communion with Pope Leo. Furthermore, I have the great opportunity to love all priests, all permanent deacons, all seminarians and all humanity”.
At the beginning of his homily, he expressed his gratitude for having been invited to Loppiano for such a significant occasion. “We remember Chiara Lubich, on the day of her arrival in the Father’s bosom, in Heaven, in 2008. Let us experience this moment of praise and gratitude together, also for the confirmation of Margaret Karram as president and the election of Roberto Almada as co-president. Let us pray that they may always live with Jesus in their midst and thus serve the Work of Mary to the best of their ability, ensuring that the Charism of Unity bears fruit for the Church and for humanity.”
Then, a personal reflection: “Chiara helped us discover Mary, who shares her life with us. Mary makes us small and humble, children of the Gospel, and makes us her instruments who spread love everywhere and thus generate living communities, living cells of the Church and of society.”
