Leadership chosen at general assembly, with three-year terms; new chair pledges support for World Youth Day

Bishop Kim Jong-su, the newly elected chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea. [Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea]
Bishop Kim Jong-su, the newly elected chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea. [Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea]

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea announced Thursday that it had elected Bishop Kim Jong-su (Augustine), 70, of the Diocese of Daejeon as its new chairman at this year's autumn general assembly.

Kim held a press conference that morning at the Korean Catholic Bishops' Conference headquarters in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, saying the role felt like "a heavy burden" but pledging to "do my utmost to ensure the bishops' conference runs well."

The bishops' conference is a body of bishops established to promote the common good of the Catholic Church in Korea. Its leadership, which serves three-year terms, is elected from among the member diocesan bishops.

Kim described the conference as "a consultative body that gathers what bishops need for their pastoral work, reaches the best conclusions, and helps them carry out their ministry smoothly in their dioceses." He said the conference would work across religious lines, bringing together diverse faiths to pursue "the good of our society and the nation as a whole, beyond any single religion."

Taking the helm ahead of next year's World Youth Day (WYD) in Seoul, Kim said the bishops' conference would "cooperate and provide support to ensure the event proceeds smoothly," adding that he would work to facilitate that cooperation.

On the introduction of abortion pills, he reaffirmed the Catholic Church's position that "no person has the right to interfere with life itself."

A native of Daejeon, Kim graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in Korean history and from the Catholic University of Korea's theology faculty, and was ordained a priest in 1989. He went on to serve as a professor at Daejeon Catholic University, as well as its dean of student affairs, director of the catechetical theology institute, and president.

He was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Daejeon in 2009, served as apostolic administrator of the diocese in 2021, and was appointed diocesan bishop in February of the following year.

Within the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, he has chaired and served as vice chair of several committees, including the Committee for Evangelization, the Committee for Liturgy, the Committee for Scripture, the Committee for Catholic Terminology, and the Special Committee on Sexual Violence within the Church.

Bishop Jeong Shin-cheol of the Diocese of Incheon was elected new vice chairman, and Archbishop Ok Hyeon-jin of the Archdiocese of Gwangju was elected secretary.

Archbishop Jeong Sun-taek of the Archdiocese of Seoul and Archbishop Kim Jong-gang, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Daegu, were elected to the standing committee.

At the autumn general assembly, held Monday through Wednesday, delegates also approved a sexual violence guideline prepared by the conference's Special Committee on Sexual Violence within the Church, as well as an AI guidance document titled "The Catholic Church's Position on AI: A Question-and-Answer Guide," prepared by the Committee for the Doctrine of the Faith.

A sign-language Mass text prepared by the Korean Catholic Deaf Mission Council was also approved.


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