Pope appoints Cardinal Tagle Prefect of Propaganda Fide

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle was appointed by Pope Francis on Sunday as the new prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples or Propaganda Fide.

A Vatican News report explained that Tagle succeeded Cardinal Fernando Filoni, who was appointed as the new Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher.

Filoni, in turn, replaced Cardinal Edwin Frederick O'Brien who resigned last April when he turned 80.

Tagle was the first Asian cardinal to serve at the helm of the congregation since the term of Indian Cardinal Ivan Dias ended in 2011.

According to the Reuters wire service, the appointment would see Tagle moving to Rome from where he would oversee the Roman Catholic Church's work in many developing countries.

The appointment also likely to increased the Filipino cardinal's chances of one day being elected pope.

Tagle was ordained priest in 1982 and was nominated to become the bishop of the Diocese of Imus by then Pope John Paul II in October 2001.

He became the Metropolitan Archbishop of Manila through the appointment of Pope Benedict XVI in October 2011.

Tagle received the cardinal’s hat the following year.

His appointment follows the recent designation of Spanish Jesuit Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves to the post of Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy.

The two new heads would be installed early 2020 in the Roman Curia. — Julia Mari Ornedo/DVM, GMA News