Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik will be appointed a cardinal at the Vatican’s Saint Peter’s Basilica on Saturday local time.
 
In the ceremony officiated by Pope Francis, 20 new cardinals will be appointed raising the total number worldwide to 229.
 
You is the fourth South Korean to be appointed a cardinal after the late Stephen Kim Sou-hwan and Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, who passed away in 2009 and 2021 respectively, as well as Andrew Yeom Soo-jung who was accepted to the College of Cardinals in 2014.
 
As the most senior clergymen in the Roman Catholic Church after the Pope, cardinals retain the title for life. Cardinals under the age of 80 have the right to take part in electing a new pope.
 
Born in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province in 1951, You was ordained while studying in Rome in 1979 and went on to obtain a doctorate degree in theology at the Pontifical Lateran University in 1983. 
 
He served as professor and dean of the Daejeon Catholic University in South Korea and became head of the Daejeon diocese in 2005. 
 
Since last June, You has served as the prefect for the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy, a post that oversees matters regarding priests and deacons.