Manila, Philippines – April 30, 2025 — As speculation grows over who might one day succeed Pope Francis, one name continues to resonate across the global Catholic community: Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines. Often referred to as the “Asian Francis,” Tagle is widely seen as a leading candidate for the papacy, admired for his humility, compassion, and missionary zeal.
Tagle, 67, has long drawn comparisons to Pope Francis due to their shared commitment to the poor, migrants, and the marginalized. Born into a modest family near Manila, he rose through the Church ranks with a focus on pastoral care, earning widespread popularity in the Philippines—home to over 90 million Catholics.
Ordained a priest in 1982 and made Archbishop of Manila in 2011, Tagle’s influence grew rapidly. Pope Benedict XVI elevated him to cardinal in 2012, and Pope Francis further cemented his role in the global Church by appointing him in 2019 as head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. Following the department’s reform, Tagle became “pro-prefect” in 2022, overseeing evangelization in new dioceses around the world.
Fluent in English and known for his warm demeanor and approachable style, Tagle often mingled with parishioners after Mass and even shared meals with beggars. “If I were God, I would not choose me to be a bishop or a cardinal,” he once said, reflecting his trademark humility. “But since I’m not God, I just have to trust God’s knowledge of me.”
Despite his affable nature, Tagle has not shied away from speaking hard truths. As Archbishop of Manila, he criticized former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs, warning in a 2017 pastoral letter, “We cannot govern the nation by killing.”
At a landmark Vatican summit on clerical sexual abuse in 2019, Tagle made a passionate call for Church accountability, acknowledging that bishops had “inflicted wounds” on victims by rejecting and covering up abuses.
However, his record is not without controversy. Critics have pointed to a lack of decisive action on abuse cases in the Philippines and questioned what he knew about the employment of a Belgian priest previously convicted of child abuse while he led Caritas Internationalis. In 2022, Pope Francis dismissed Tagle and the entire Caritas leadership after an audit revealed management shortcomings.
Still, Tagle remains one of Pope Francis’ most trusted envoys, representing the pontiff at key international events, including in the Democratic Republic of Congo and at the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences in Bangkok.
As the Catholic Church looks to the future, Tagle’s blend of pastoral sensitivity, theological depth, and global experience positions him as a serious contender for the papacy—and a symbol of the Church’s growing center of gravity in the Global South.
