An official of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Thursday urged the Filipino faithful to refrain from campaigning for Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle to be the next pope.

International news outlets have reported on Tagle as a possible successor to Pope Francis, who died on Monday at the age of 88. Reuters says that the Filipino cardinal shares a "similar commitment to social justice" with the late pope and has pastoral and administrative experience.

“Huwag naman sana natin na publicly i-post ‘yung pangalan ni Cardinal Tagle kasi unang-una, hindi niya rin naman gugustuhin 'yan,” Fr. Jerome Secillano, CBCP Permanent Committee on Public Affairs executive secretary, told Super Radyo dzBB.

“Pangalawa, kahit na anong pagpupush natin, wala rin naman tayo magagawa kasi ang magdedecide naman niyan yung mga cardinal electors under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,” he added.

(Let us not publicly advocate for Cardinal Tagle because, first, he would not like that. Second, no matter how much we push for it, there is nothing we can do because the cardinal electors, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, will decide that.)

Instead, Filipino Catholics should pray that God choose a pope who will effectively govern the Church amid the current issues it is facing.

“Kung sino yung mas magiging effective din sa pamamalakad at pamumuno, sana ibigay 'yan ng Diyos sa atin,” Secillano said.

(May God grant us the most effective pope in governance.)

According to the Vatican, Pope Francis died due to a stroke and irreversible heart failure. He recently suffered from double pneumonia, which caused him to be hospitalized for weeks.

His funeral service will be on Saturday in St. Peter's Square.

Days after the funeral, the cardinal electors will gather in the Sistine Chapel, entirely isolated from the outside world until the new pope is elected.

Once a new Bishop of Rome is chosen, white smoke (fumata bianca) appears from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

Fr. Ritz Darwin Resuello, Adjutant Juridical Vicar of the Diocese of Malolos, urged the Filipino faithful to pray for the cardinal electors, trust God, and obey the Holy Spirit’s selection.

In an interview with GMA News Online, Resuello said that the papal election is a “spiritual event,” not a “democratic exercise” or “popularity contest.” — Mariel Celine Serquiña/VBL, GMA Integrated News