Bishop Vincent Ri Pyung-ho | South-Korea

Bishop Vincent Ri Pyung-ho from the diocese of Jeonju in South Korea was born in Wanju in 1941 and was ordained priest in 1969. From 1978 to 1982, he did his doctorate in Theology in Paris with a scholarship from the MWI. In 1990, he was ordained bishop of the diocese of Jeonju.

The number of priests in his diocese has increased during the 21 years of his tenure, as well as the number of Catholics, which increased by two thirds to approximately 180.000 since his inauguration.

Among other things, this is due to Bishop Vincent’s closeness to the faithful of his diocese and his willingness to listen to their problems and concerns. In 2011, for instance, he opened a center for women in need with a hotline for which the provincial government assigned the responsibility to the diocese. „The church wants to run and support such institutions that strive to ease suffering and to restore people their dignity and that help people to live a decent and dignified life”, says Bishop Vincent.

During a conference on the charismatic reformation of Korea, Bishop Vincent invited the participants to bless each other in their families, for example by laying on hands and common prayer. Bishop Vincent knows from his own experience about the healing effects of such blessings.