Cardinal-designate Tagle back in PHL from Synod of Bishops in Rome

Published November 1, 2012 4:30pm

New Cardinal-designate Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle returned to the Philippines on Thursday after attending the Synod of Bishops in Rome.

Tagle arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday and was greeted by parents Manuel and Milagros Tagle, radio dzBB's Sam Nielsen reported. A report of the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN) said the Synod of Bishops began on October 7 this year "to study how the New Evangelization affects the mission of the Church." "The Holy Father has asked the synod to study about 'The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith,'" the report said. UCAN said both Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have identified "new evangelization" as the "response to how the Church transmits the Christian faith, considering the challenges confronting believers in today’s world." A report of Vatican Radio said during the Synod of Bishops, Tagle called for a "humbler, quieter Church that is not afraid to admit its mistakes but is able to share more deeply in the sufferings of people today."

“The Church of Asia is often a minority Church, like John the Baptist crying in the wilderness…..even in the Philippines, if the Church is a majority, I realize that the sufferings of people and the difficult questions they ask are an invitation to be first in solidarity with them, not to pretend we have all the solutions...," Tagle said.

"I believe the Church should contribute in the public square but we in Asia are very particular about the mode…..so you may be saying the right things but people will not listen if the manner by which you communicate reminds them of a triumphalistic, know-it-all institution...," he said. "I know that in some parts of Asia the relative silence, calmness of the Church is interpreted as timidity, but I say no – it makes the Church more credible," he added. Tagle's installation as cardinal

Tagle will return to the Vatican later this month as Pope Benedict XVI will formally install him as a cardinal on November 24.

Vatican Radio said Tagle thanked the pope for selecting him as a cardinal, saying he was grateful to the Pontiff for his "trust and confidence" in the Philippine Church.

Known for his simplicity and humility, Tagle has been tagged as someone who could be the next pope. He is known to go around the communities he serves on a "cheap bike."

A report of CathNews in December last year quoted CNN Senior Vatican analyst John Allen Jr. as saying the 54-year-old Tagle was not only "a rising star in the Asian Church" but also a "papal contender."

In his blog on the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) on October 21, Allen said "a striking number of people who know Tagle believe that this is a guy who, one day, could be pope."

Tagle will become eligible to become pope once he is installed as a cardinal.

The pope, also known as the "Supreme Pontiff" or the Servant of the Servants of God, is elected from cardinals worldwide.

According to catholic-pages.com, there are currently 199 cardinals around the world.

However, those who are over 80 years old are no longer eligible to elect a pope, leaving the number of cardinal electors to 96.

A theologian

According to CBCP Online, Tagle was born in Manila on June 21, 1957.

He was ordained a priest on February 27, 1982 and later as a bishop on December 12, 2001.

Tagle took his philosophy and theology studies at the San Jose Major Seminary based at the Ateneo de Manila University.

He took his doctorate in sacred theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. in the United States from 1985 to 1992.

Tagle has also been a member of the International Theological Commission of the Vatican since 1997. - AGM/VVP, GMA News

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