Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy of the Holy See, arrives at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, to travel to Rome, Jan. 3. Yonhap

Korean Catholic leaders departed for Rome on Tuesday to attend the funeral Mass of late former Pope Benedict XVI in Vatican City later this week.

Bishop Mathias Lee Yong-hoon, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK); Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung; and Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of the Seoul archdiocese will mourn the late pope's death during the funeral Mass at St. Peter's Square on Thursday (local time).

Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy of the Holy See, wrapped up his vacation in Seoul and boarded the same plane for the ceremony.

The Korean Catholic leaders plan to leave Rome on Thursday.

In Seoul, Korean Catholic bishops and priests will jointly hold a Mass in memory of Benedict XVI at Myeongdong Cathedral on Saturday.

Benedict, who served as the head of the Catholic Church from 2005 through 2013, died Saturday at the age of 95. He retired for health reasons, becoming the first Catholic pope to abdicate in 600 years. (Yonhap)