You Heung-sik was born on 17 November 1951 in
Nonsan,
South Chungcheong,
South Korea. He was baptized a Catholic at the age of sixteen. and then in Rome, where he earned a degree in dogmatic theology at the
Pontifical Lateran University. He was ordained a priest on 9 December 1979. He has been associated with the
Focolare Movement and attended international gatherings of bishops who promote it. On 9 July 2003,
Pope John Paul II named him Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Daejeon. He received his episcopal consecration on 19 August 2003 from Bishop
Joseph Kyeong Kap-ryong of Daejeon. He became bishop upon the retirement of Kyeong on 1 April 2005. On 29 May 2007,
Pope Benedict XVI named him a member of the
Pontifical Council Cor Unum. While bishop of Daejeon he has led several of the
Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea's committees, including those on migrants, youth ministry, and the promotion of the cause of Korean martyrs. In 2014, his diocese hosted Pope Francis, who celebrated Mass in
Daejeon World Cup Stadium, participated in Asian Youth Day, and met with Asian bishops. He participated in the 2018 Synod of Bishops on Youth and Discernment by papal appointment. He described the situation of young people in Korea: "Since childhood they grow up in a highly competitive society. Competition thwarts fraternal relations, it casts off friendships and nurtures loneliness." He took advantage of the synod to meet the two participating bishops from China. He expressed hope for peace on the Korean peninsula; he imagined an eventual papal visit to
North Korea, but warned that it would require extensive preparations, "starting with the issue of religious freedom and the presence of priests". On 14 October 2020 he became secretary of the Korean Bishops Conference. He was given the personal title of archbishop along with that of bishop emeritus of Daejeon. In February 2022, he participated in the
San Damaso Ecclesiastical University of Madrid, Spain, with a conference in the fifth edition of the pastoral update sessions for priests. On 29 May 2022, Pope Francis announced that he would elevate You to the rank of
cardinal. On 27 August, Pope Francis made him a
Cardinal-Deacon of
Gesù Buon Pastore alla Montagnola. On 13 July 2022, Pope Francis named him a member of the
Dicastery for Bishops. He participated as a
cardinal elector in the
2025 papal conclave that elected
Pope Leo XIV. ==See also==