Vatican City (Fides Service) – The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II has, (24 June 2003) appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Taejon (Korea) Reverend Father Lazarus You Heung-sik, rector of Taejon major seminary.
Reverend Father Lazarus You Heung-sik was born on 17 November 1951 at Nonsan-gun Chungnam, Taejon. He was baptised when he was 16. He studied for the priesthood in Korea and in Rome obtaining a degree in fundamental theology at the Pontifical Lateran University. He was ordained a priest on 9 December 1979 for Taejon diocese. He is a member of the Focolare Movement.
He has since been: assistant priest at the cathedral, director of Solmoe Retreat House, and director the Catholic Centre for Education and diocesan Pastoral; rector and professor at Taejon major seminary.
Taejon diocese was created in 1962 and it is suffragan of the archdiocese of Seoul. It is situated in the civil province of Chungchonnam in central west Korea. It has an area of 9,126 sq. km a population of 3,326,000, of whom 382,000 are Catholics gathered in 93 parishes, looked after by 185 priests (14 are religious) assisted by 416 Sisters. There are 168 major seminarians. (Fides Service 10/7/2003 EM lines 19 Words: 205)