Pope Francis appoints Tagle to Vatican council for inter-religious dialogue

Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as a member of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, the central office of the Church for the promotion of interreligious dialogue in accordance with the spirit of the Second Vatican Council.

According to Vatican News, Tagle, the current Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, was named among the 22 new members of the council.

The announcement of appointments was made on Wednesday at the Vatican.

The Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Diaogue is responsible for “promoting mutual understanding, respect, and collaboration between Catholics and followers of other religious traditions; encouraging the study of religions; and promoting the formation of persons dedicated to dialogue.”

Aside from Tagle, Pope Francis also appointed Cardinals Dieudonné Nzapalainga, Archbishop of Bangui; Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, Vicar Apostolic of Vientiane; Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, Archbishop Jakarta and Ordinary of the Military Ordinariate of Indonesia; and Jean-Claude Höllerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg, to the Council.

A number of bishops from all parts of the world were also named as members of the council such as Lawrence Huculak, Archbishop of Winnipeg of the Ukrainians; Archbishop Felix Anthony Machado, Bishop of Vasai; George Frendo, Archbishop of Tiranë-Durrës; Mark Tin Win, Archbishop of Mandalay; Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille; Paul Yoshinao Otsuka, Bishop of Ky?to; Thomas Chung An-zu, Bishop of Kiayi; Raphy Manjaly, Bishop of Allahabad; Ambrogio Spreafico, Bishop of Frosinone-Veroli-Ferentino; Michael Joseph McKenna, Bishop of Bathurst; William Hanna Shomali, titular Bishop of Lidda; Denis Chidi Isizoh, titular Bishop of Legia; Patrick Joseph McKinney, Bishop of Nottingham; James Massa, titular Bishop of Bardstown; Paul Desfarges, Archbishop of Alger; and Joseph ?ình ?úc ?ao, Bishop of Xuân Lôc.

The council’s current president is Spanish Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, who was appointed to the post in May 2019.

According to the Vatican's website, the council was established in 1964 as a special department of the Roman Curia, the administrative body governing affairs of the church, for relations with the people of other religions.

In May, Pope Francis also elevated Tagle to the rank of a cardinal-bishop, the highest order within the College of Cardinals.

The 62-year-old Tagle was promoted as the new Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples or Propaganda Fide in December 2019, succeeding Cardinal-bishop Fernando Filoni. — Ma. Angelica Garcia/LA, GMA News