Last weekend, Pope Francis inducted 20 new cardinals mostly coming from small cities and developing countries. Pope Francis himself broke tradition when he was elected as the first Latin American Pope in 2013. This year’s batch of cardinals include priests from South Korea, Singapore, East Timor, Mongolia, Ghana, Paraguay, Nigeria, India and Columbia.
It seems that the common denominator of the newcomers to the College of Cardinals is their progressive views. For instance, American Bishop Robert McElroy, a noted liberal clergy, was selected over conservative American archbishops. McElroy does not support the position of conservative American priests to hold Catholic politicians like President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi incommunicado because they are supportive of abortion rights. The recent appointments reflect Pope Francis’ pastoral position on social issues such as his concern for the environment and openness to LGBTQ members of the faith. This was evident when he named an archbishop from the Amazon region to the conclave. His policy to make Catholicism an inclusive church was highlighted with the appointment of Archbishop Giorgio Marengo, the Roman Catholic Church’s administrator in Mongolia. Mongolia has only a handful of Catholics—1,300—but it shares a border with China, which has a bigger Catholic population. It was also noted that a number of new appointees come from Asia. Traditionally, Europe, which has powerful dioceses, is the main source of candidates for the Princes of the Church, but it has lost out this time to Asia, Africa and South America.
Of the 20 new cardinals appointed on Saturday, August 27, six hail from Asia, the most number among all the continents. This is not surprising since Asia has become a powerhouse—politically, economically and militarily—although the Catholic Church is not the dominant religion in the region, except in the Philippines and East Timor. An Asian Pope may be a counterweight to the growing influence of China and the menacing threat of North Korea, which are disruptive to the geopolitical stability in this part of the world.
The recent appointments of new cardinals once more demonstrated Pope Francis’ policy of tilting towards Asia. As some keen observers have commented, this has improved the chances of an Asian cardinal to get elected as the next Pope.
Not too long ago, Pope Francis hinted that he might resign his papacy if his health worsens, although he clarified that this may not happen soon. In a more recent interview, Pope Francis lamented that he could no longer travel like he used to. It will be recalled that his immediate predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, left his post due to health reasons and became the first Pope in almost 600 years to leave his position before his death.
We had a total of 266 Popes since time immemorial and 257 of them were Europeans. A total of 217 Popes were Italians. Jose Maria Bergolio or Pope Francis, an Argentinian, is the first ever Pope from South America. Pope Francis espouses egalitarian and inclusive policies and his penchant for forming a more global cast of younger cardinals may constitute a college of cardinals that is open to choose a non-European head of the Church. Cardinals who are under 80 years old are qualified to join the papal conclave, which will elect the next Pontiff.
Our own prelate, Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, belongs to this young and progressive group of cardinals appointed by Pope Francis. Born on June 21, 1957 in Manila, Cardinal Tagle is 65 years old. After earning his Master of Arts in Theology at the Loyola School, he completed his PhD in Sacred Theology at the Catholic University of America. Dr. Joseph Komonchak, his PhD adviser, regarded Tagle as one of the best students he ever had in his 40 years of teaching, and he boldly predicted that Tagle could be the best theologian in all of Asia.
Tagle was ordained priest on February 27, 1982 and served as the Bishop of Imus, Cavite until 2011. In 2011 he succeeded Archbishop Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales as the 32nd Archbishop of Manila. Pope Benedict appointed him Cardinal on November 24, 2012. Now he is one of the frontrunners to be elected as our next Pope. Odds makers in the United Kingdom had given Cardinal Tagle 5/1 odds of being elected as Pope Francis’ successor as reported by the Newsweek Magazine.
Cardinal Tagle represents the liberal faction of the Church and the developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America whose Catholic population far outnumber the members of the faith from the western world. Based on the series of promotions given him by Pope Francis, he appears to enjoy great respect and confidence in the present Pope. In 2019, Cardinal Tagle left his post as the Archbishop of Manila and moved to the Vatican after he was named the President of Interdicasterial Commission for Consecrated Religious, a major function in the Holy See. Only this June 2022, he was given one of the most powerful offices in the Vatican as the head of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (now called the Pro-Prefect for the Section of Evangelization of Dicastery for Evangelization). He also holds the post as President of the Catholic Biblical Federation and Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Urbaniana University. Tagle also serves in various congregations and offices in the Roman Curia based in the Vatican, which carry wide influence in the Church.
Before Pope Francis appointed him to the high offices in the Vatican, Tagle headed the Caritas Internationalis where he figured prominently in delivering social and relief services around the world.
Cardinal Tagle is only one of the 11 Cardinal-Bishops in the Roman Catholic Church, the highest ranking clergy in the College of Cardinals. If Cardinal Tagle becomes a Pope, it will be hailed by the liberal and progressive faction of the Church. He is popularly referred to as the “Asian Francis” who is equally committed to social causes like climate change, migration, environment and human rights. He is strongly pro-poor and a defender of the LGBTQ and the divorced and remarried Catholics, but he is against abortion. His positions on various issues confronting the Church and our society are well known through his speeches and writings. His credentials as a theologian and academician are well established. His achievements as a pro-poor man of the cloth are documented. All his life is dedicated to the service of the Lord. And this is reflected in his personal Motto: “Dominus Est”—It is the Lord. (John 21:7)