Korean bishops elect new president, approve guidelines on sexual violence

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea elected Bishop Augustine Kim Jong-su of Daejeon as president during its plenary assembly in Seoul from Oct. 19 to 21. Bishop Kim, 70, previously chaired the special committee on sexual violence in the Church that developed new guidelines approved by the bishops during the meeting.

Bishop John Baptist Jung Shin-chul of Incheon was elected vice president and Archbishop Simon Ok Hyun-jin of Gwangju was elected secretary for three-year terms.

The bishops also approved a sign-language Order of Mass and a question-and-answer guide on artificial intelligence. They requested that all dioceses join a year of prayer for peace on the Korean Peninsula starting Dec. 8 ahead of World Youth Day Seoul 2027.