Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle: Future Pope

In the midst of this crisis, we have good news. The elevation of Luis Antonio Tagle, or Bishop Chito as he prefers to be called, to Cardinal Bishop is indeed “a breath of fresh air inside a catacomb of stench and decay.”

At 62, he’s the youngest ever to be elevated to the highest level in the hierarchy in the College of Cardinals, the only Asian among the 11 living cardinal bishops who serve as Pope Francis' most trusted co-administrators of the Church. Born on June 21, 1957, he’s seven years younger than Archbishop Jose Palma. He was ordained on February 27, 1982, and consecrated Bishop of Imus on December 12, 2001, then the only bishop in the world who didn’t own a car and used public transport.

He was appointed the 32nd Archbishop of Manila on October 13, 2011, after Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales retired. In a year's time, Pope Benedict XVI created (that's the proper term) him cardinal on November 24, 2012. When he appeared in St. Peter's Basilica to receive his red hat, he looked so boyish in the middle of seniors and ageing men, many eyebrows were raised. The Pope then jokingly remarked to the old cardinals not to worry, Cardinal Tagle already received his first communion. He’s the youngest among his peers. This is both an asset and a liability. The older cardinals may not wish to elect a young pope for that would mean a pontificate of 20 to 30 years.

But Cardinal Chito doesn’t aspire for anything. His coat of arms says “Dominus Est”, meaning, it’s the Lord who shall decide. Last year, he was appointed to the very powerful post of Prefect of the Congregation of the Evangelization of Peoples. This post makes him very prominent, as he has control over billions in Church funds and is in charge of appointing and promoting bishops. The missions of his post includes, among others, the transmission and dissemination of the Catholic faith all over the world, coordinating all the missionary efforts, and distributing funds and subsidies for education and pastoral missions.

Aside from that premier post, he occupies the following positions: Cardinal priest (now Bishop) of San Felice de Cantalice since 2012, President of Caritas Internationalis (the social welfare arm of the Church) since 2015, President of the Catholic Biblical Foundation since 2015, and appointed this year as Chancellor of the Pontifical Urban University.  He is a very busy man and very close to the Pope. He is often called to the inner sanctum of the papal residence to confer with the Pope on many social issues mostly involving Asia.

Cardinal Chito, who is called the Red Pope or “Papa Rosso”, is entrusted “to spread the good news and to make disciples of all men.” His post is called “Propaganda Fide”. The trust of the Pope in him is total. And he is jokingly called the Chinese version of Mario Bergolio, or the Francis of the East. Who knows really if the next Pope will be an Asian, a Filipino? It’s the Lord alone. Dominus Est.