Who is Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle? A favorite for next pope
Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has emerged as one of the two favorites to become the next pope, but he faces accusations of not doing enough to deal with claims of child sex abuse in the church.
However, many see him as the natural successor to Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday.
The Context
Francis passed at the age of 88, on April 21, after 12 years as pope, and the world is now watching to see who will take his place as the head of the Catholic Church.
With around 1.4 billion followers, according to the Vatican's Central Office for Church Statistics' 2023, the Catholic church is the biggest in the world, giving the pope significant influence.
Tagle, 67, along with Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 70, is one of two favorites, according to several bookmakers, including the UK's William Hill.
At one point on Friday, Tagle overtook Parolin, currently the Vatican's Secretary of State, William Hill making him favorite at 9/4 (30.8 percent) and Parolin at 5/2 (28.6 percent).
But, as of Monday, Parolin was back on top at 9/4 (30.8 percent), but Tagle was right behind him with 3/1 (25.0 percent).
Where Is Cardinal Tagle From?
Tagle was born in Manila, in the Philippines, on June 21, 1957, and was raised in the city of Imus, just south of Manila. His parents were Catholic and both worked in a bank.
He initially wanted to become a doctor but ended up in the church after a priest "tricked" him into applying for seminary, according to the College of Cardinals Report.
Tagle was eventually sent to the U.S. by his bishop, where he received a doctorate in sacred theology in 1991 at The Catholic University of America, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
He became the Bishop of Imus in 2001, the Archbishop of Manila in 2011 and was installed as a member of the College of Cardinals in 2012—a year before he participated in the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis.
What Are Cardinal Tagle's Views and Beliefs?
Tagle has been touted as the "Asian Francis" for some of his more progressive views, including on migration.
"I have observed that some people who are afraid of migrants or refugees have had very little personal encounter with them," he said at a United Nations event in 2018, "They do not even know the people they fear."
He continued: "By meeting them, touching their wounds, listening to their stories and dreams, we might see ourselves in them. They are not strangers. They could be me, my parents, my brothers and sisters, my friend."
However, Tagle has also urged against using political labels for a person's standing within the church.
"Labeling people as progressive, as conservative, as traditionalists, may hinder a full listening to them," he said during a 2014 Extraordinary Synod of Bishops press briefing in the Philippines.
"If we have decided already in our minds, 'this person is traditionalist,' whatever the person says, you or we, will always say, 'Ah, traditionalist'," he said. "Or if a person says something that does not sound traditionalist, we change the label—'Ah, he's not a traditionalist, he's a progressive.'"
Tagle has stood by the church's position on abortion but has called on followers to be "consistent in defending the sacredness of life."
Tagle Accused of Mishandling Child Sex Abuse Claims
Tagle is one of several accused of not doing enough to deal with claims of child sex abuse in the church.
Last week, Anne Barrett Doyle, the co-director of the American watchdog Bishop Accountability said the Philippines was in the "Dark Ages" on the issue.
"If Cardinal Tagle cannot even get his brother bishops from his home country to publish guidelines," she said, "what on earth can we expect for him to achieve as pope of a global church?"
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines has defended Tagle, saying he had "actively participated in the development and implementation" of guidelines on handling sexual abuse cases.
Tagle "has consistently advocated for a humble and responsive Church that listens to the cries of the wounded and acts decisively to protect the vulnerable," it says.
Newsweek has contacted the Vatican, via email, for comment on Tagle's behalf.