Pope Leo’s Ally Confirmed to Ancient Position of Power as Cancer-Stricken Pontiff Secures Grip on Vatican

The election of Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, nicknamed “Chito,” as Dean of the College of Cardinals elevates an ally of Pope Leo XIV to one of the Vatican’s most influential positions, putting him in a prominent position should the papacy fall vacant. The Filipino cardinal, 69, a prince of the Church who was rumored to be a frontrunner for the papacy at the conclave that elected the current pope, is relatively liberal on doctrinal matters. Cardinal Tagle, who was elected earlier this month and whose appointment was confirmed by Leo, succeeds Giovanni Battista Cardinal Re, the 92-year-old son of a carpenter who presided over the funerals of Popes Benedict XVI and Francis. At one time, Cardinal Re was himself a papabile, or contender for the Chair of Saint Peter.Cardinal Tagle, sometimes called an “Asian Francis,” now presides over the Catholic Church’s College of Cardinals as primus inter pares, Latin for “first among equals.” Unlike the pope, he does not exercise hierarchical authority over his fellow cardinals. The decanal position was once a lifetime appointment, but in 2019 Pope Francis changed it to a five-year term, renewable once. A cardinal must be under 80 to preside over a conclave.The Vatican reports that Cardinal Tagle was among the first visitors Pope Leo received last week at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where the Bishop of Rome underwent an operation to remove a cancerous portion of his lung. Cardinal Tagle would be responsible for convening a conclave following the pope’s death or resignation and, provided he remains under 80, presiding over the election of his successor in the Sistine Chapel.Cardinal Tagle’s election following the pope’s cancer diagnosis — and days before the pontiff underwent surgery — appears to suggest that the Church’s supreme shepherd wants a man he trusts close at hand. The Italian newspaper Il Tempo reckons that the “political fact remains: On the eve of the operation, Tagle was placed in one of the most strategic positions in the Catholic Church.” Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger served as dean of the College of Cardinals from 2002 until his election as Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. He was the ninth dean to be elected pope. The term “cardinal” dates to the fourth century of the common era, and the College of Cardinals took shape around 1150, nearly 900 years ago. Cardinal Tagle sat next to the future Pope Leo at the last conclave. After white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel, Cardinal Tagle disclosed that he had given his seatmate a piece of candy to steady his nerves as the votes mounted in his favor. Cardinal Tagle described the gift as “my first act of charity to the new Pope.” He later had the honor of placing the Ring of the Fisherman on the pope’s finger at the inaugural Mass of his pontificate.Pope Leo and Cardinal Tagle first met 20 years ago in the Philippines, when the future pontiff visited Manila as prior general of the Order of St. Augustine. The Philippines has the largest Catholic population in Asia, and roughly 80 percent of its population identifies as Catholic. A profile last year in Vogue suggested that if Cardinal Tagle were elected pope, the reaction in his homeland would be “something akin to if Taylor Swift had a concert on the moon, and the whole country was invited.”Cardinal Tagle has staked out a position on the relatively liberal flank of the Church’s pastoral spectrum. He has advocated a more compassionate approach toward gay Catholics and favored case-by-case consideration of whether Catholics who have divorced and remarried may receive Communion. The cardinal has also taken a strong position in favor of migrants, a stance that echoes that of Pope Leo — and has precipitated clashes between the Vatican and President Trump. The pope has called the 47th president’s immigration policies “inhuman” and “extremely disrespectful.” In a 2019 letter, Pope Francis noted the “singular place, within the College of Cardinals, that belongs to the Cardinal Dean.” He also reaffirmed that the cardinals are called to elect “the Supreme Pastor of the Church” and to assist him “in treating issues of the greatest relevance in the daily care of the universal Church.” Last month, Cardinal Tagle served as the pope’s envoy to the beatification Mass of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen at St. Louis, Missouri.An earlier missive from Pope John Paul II explains that the “Dean of the College of Cardinals, for his part, as soon as he has been informed of the Pope’s death by the Cardinal Camerlengo or the Prefect of the Papal Household, shall inform all the Cardinals and convoke them for the Congregations of the College. He shall also communicate news of the Pope’s death to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See and to the Heads of the respective Nations.”

Pope Leo’s Ally Confirmed to Ancient Position of Power as Cancer-Stricken Pontiff Secures Grip on Vatican

Pope Leo’s Ally Confirmed to Ancient Position of Power as Cancer-Stricken Pontiff Secures Grip on Vatican

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