Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon will lead the South Korean delegation to the formal inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Sunday.
Yu will attend the ceremony alongside South Korea’s ambassador to the Holy See, Oh Hyun-joo, joining representatives and religious leaders from some 200 countries. Notable attendees include US Vice President JD Vance, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Britain’s Prince Edward.
Separately, prominent Korean Catholic leaders will be in attendance. They are Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, former archbishop of Seoul; Bishop Mathias Lee Yong-hoon, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea; and Seoul Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick. They will be joined by Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, the Vatican’s prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy.
On Friday, Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff from the United States, presided over his first Mass, pledging to lead a humble church open to “ordinary people.” His emphasis on advocating for the poor, migrants and women deacons — embraced by the late Pope Francis — signals continuing tension with conservative traditionalists during his papacy.
siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com
