South Korean President Lee Jae-myung attended a special Mass for peace and solidarity at St. Paul Outside the Walls in Vatican City on Sunday [1].
The visit marks the first European trip for Lee since his inauguration. It is intended to strengthen diplomatic and religious ties with the Holy See while discussing global peace and solidarity [2].
The president's presence at the Vatican comes after a significant gap in high-level diplomatic visits. A visit by a South Korean president to the Holy See and a meeting with the pope has not occurred in four years and seven months [1], the last being in October 2021.
Lee is currently in the middle of a two-day visit to the region [1]. Following the Sunday service, he is scheduled to hold a one-on-one meeting with the pope on Monday [1].
During the visit, Lee focused on the themes of peace and solidarity. The special Mass served as a prelude to the diplomatic discussions planned for the following day [1].
According to YTN reporter Hong Min-gi, the visit is a notable return to papal diplomacy for the South Korean leadership [1]. The engagement at St. Paul Outside the Walls is part of a broader effort to align South Korea's diplomatic outreach with the humanitarian, and peace-focused missions of the Catholic Church [2].
“The visit marks the first European trip for Lee since his inauguration.”
This visit signals a strategic effort by the Lee administration to restore high-level diplomatic channels with the Vatican after a nearly five-year hiatus. By prioritizing the Holy See during his first European tour, the South Korean presidency is leveraging religious diplomacy to bolster its international standing on peace and humanitarian issues.
