Reuters: Cardinal Tagle from the Philippines, nicknamed "Asian Francis", is one of the candidates for the position of Pope

One of the likely candidates for the position of Pope is Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines, who is called "Asian Francis", Reuters reports, UNN writes.

Details

Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is sometimes called "Asian Francis" because of his contagious smile, easy laughter and directness in words. Like the late Argentine Pope, he comes from a country far from the traditional seat of power of the Catholic Church in Europe and came to Rome with an outsider's perspective, the publication notes.

"Some of those who included Tagle in unofficial shortlists of candidates for the next Pope say he would be an undisputed successor to Francis, if the cardinal electors, who will take part in the secret conclave on Wednesday, are looking for as much similarity as possible to persistently continue Francis' progressive line," the publication writes.

If Tagle were elected, it would probably also signal to the world's 1.4 billion Catholics that the cardinals want to follow Francis' vision of jointly opening the Church to the modern world without electing a person who might roll back some of the late Pope's reforms, the publication notes.

This, as indicated, would also mean that his fellow cardinals ignored questions about his management skills.

"He will be a continuation of what Pope Francis has been doing," said Reverend Emmanuel Alfonso, a former student of Tagle's who has known him for decades. "He is really similar to Pope Francis in terms of his love for the poor, his accessibility and so on."

Tagle, the former Archbishop of Manila, would be the first Pope from what is now considered Asia, although in the early Church some Popes were from what is now called the Middle East, technically part of Asia.

Tagle, who looks younger than his 67 years and likes to be called by the diminutive nickname "Chito", has headed the Vatican's Dicastery for Evangelization for the past five years, essentially the Church's missionary unit. This position has given him tremendous influence over national churches in developing countries, the publication writes.

As Archbishop of Manila, and previously Bishop of the Philippine city of Imus, Tagle gained pastoral experience managing dioceses in Asia's largest Catholic country. By bringing him to the Vatican in 2020, Francis gave him another step in experience, which is considered useful for candidates for the papal throne.

Tagle's move to Rome drew criticism from then-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who led a bloody "war on drugs" that killed thousands of Filipinos during his 2016-2022 term. Duterte said Tagle was removed from Manila for interfering in national politics. The Philippine Catholic Bishops' Conference strongly rejected these allegations. Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Caloocan, a conference official appointed a cardinal in 2024, called Duterte's statement "incredibly absurd."

Many cardinals know Tagle personally, and many may see the appeal of having a Pope from Asia, which church leaders see as an important growth region for the faith, the publication notes. Young people, as indicated, feel comfortable with him.

When Tagle hosted Francis during a visit to the Philippines in 2014, the visit drew the largest crowds in the history of papal trips, including a Mass that drew up to 7 million people.

One possible weakness in Tagle's candidacy, as indicated, is that he was implicated in a management scandal three years ago.

Cardinal predicts short conclave to elect Pope03.05.25, 09:22 • 16324 views