Who Is Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle? 10 Things to Know About the Filipino Frontrunner in the Upcoming Conclave

The cardinal usually refers to himself as Cardinal Chito, and he encourages others to call him the same. He was born in the Philippines to Manuel Topacio Tagle Sr. and Milagros Gokim on June 21, 1957. He is 67 years old as of writing.

Cardinal Chito has more than four decades of pastoral experience. He started as the spiritual director of the Diocesan Theological Seminary in Imus, Cavite in 1982, and has held many more positions since. In 2001, he was ordained a bishop and was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Imus. He was then appointed Archbishop of Manila a decade later, and was informed that he was going to be made a cardinal just a year after.

He pursued Theology in San Jose Major Seminary and Loyola School of Theology at Ateneo de Manila University, both in Quezon City, and graduated as Summa Cum Laude. He achieved this while he was a full-time teacher. Apart from his alma mater, Cardinal Chito taught philosophy and theology in other seminaries including Maryhill School of Theology and Our Lady of Pillar Seminary, among others. In 1991, he graduated as Doctor of Theology at the Catholic University of America, located in Washington, DC, where he earned another Summa Cum Laude distinction. He also spent years deepening his studies in Rome, Italy.

Given their similar openness, advocacies, and commitment to social justice, Cardinal Chito is often called the “Asian Francis.” During Pope Francis’ papacy, the cardinal dedicatedly served as a close ally and advisor in the pope’s inner circle.

The appointment marked the return of an Asian cardinal to head the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. According to Vatican News, the important department for evangelization was “responsible for episcopal nominations in mission lands.”

In 2016, Cardinal Chito spoke in the 51st International Eucharistic Congress, where he shared his views on bribery and corruption being unacceptable. He asked, “Politicians, will you throw away people’s taxes for your parties and shopping or guard them as gifts for social services?” adding that “we should avoid cultures with widespread acceptance but are incompatible with Christian values.”

The former government administration in the Philippines had plans to bring back the death penalty. The Jesuit Communications organized an event in 2016, where Cardinal Chito disclosed his thoughts on the matter. Killing people, according to him, is “an act of hopelessness and despair.” The cardinal expressed, “May we not give up especially on human lives, and may we not give up on every single sinner. There is hope for transformation.”

In his homily back in 2015’s World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Cardinal Chito pointed to materialism as one of the causes behind abortion. “Even people are measured by profitability, that is why children being conceived in the womb can be aborted,” he said. He expounded that this indication of a “throw-away culture” shows that “children are considered as liabilities and elderly people are not cared for” when they are part of God’s creations.

Like Pope Francis, Cardinal Chito has acknowledged the mistreatment of the church to the LGBTQIA+ community, divorced and separated people, and unwed mothers. “Many people who belonged to those groups were branded and that led to their isolation from the wider society,” he said at a Catholic youth conference in London back in 2015. He reportedly led The Lazarus Project two years later, a video that promotes acceptance and compassion for all people including different marginalized groups, topped with the hashtag #ResurrectLove. While he has been consistent with this particular stance, he continues to adhere to traditional church doctrines on homosexuality and same-sex marriage.

It is the first time in history where more than half of the candidates for the next papacy are not European. Cardinal Chito was the first Filipino clergy member to sit at the Church’s highest sub-papal rank when Pope Francis elevated him to Cardinal-Bishop of San Felice da Cantalice a Centocelle in Rome in 2020. If elected as pope in this year’s conclave, he will become the first pontiff from the Philippines and all of Asia. With Cardinal Chito being considered as a contender for the papacy even back in 2013, the community holds high hopes for him.