Lee invited the leaders of South Korea's seven key religious orders including Buddhist monks, Catholic priests, Christian pastors, and others to a luncheon to seek their advice on state affairs and promote unity amid deepening social and political conflict.
Expressing his concerns, Lee said, "The role of religious leaders is even more important, especially in a time of a growing social division and confrontation."
The luncheon came about a month after Lee took office early last month and just two days after he met with Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, who visited to deliver Pope Leo XIV's invitation to the Vatican.
The American-born pope is expected to visit Seoul in 2027 to attend World Youth Day (WYD), an international Catholic event that brings together hundreds of thousands of young believers from around the world. Anticipation is already building that he may also visit North Korea to mend inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Once he travels to Seoul as planned, Leo will become the third pope to visit the country, following Pope John Paul II who visited twice in 1984 and 1989, and his predecessor Pope Francis in 2014.
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