Vatican: The Cardinal and « Priest Karaoke » who claims the pope’s anointing

When asked in 2015 if he had ever thought that one day can be done PriestPhilippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle laughed …

« I do a public confession here. I can’t even manage my life. How can I imagine a global community? « 

Despite his self -deprecating answer, Philippine Cardinal is among those proposed as Pope Francis’ potential successors.

Asian Cardinal

If appointed, it will be the first Asian Pope in the modern age.

Tagle, who has the nickname « Chito », has been described as Asian Francis because of his progressive perception and humble way of life.

In the past he has criticized the « harsh » attitude towards single mothers and homosexuals or divorced. As bishop of Imus, a city near Manila, he invited the needy to eat with him.

Known as accessible and unpretentious, Tangle is also a fan of the song and dance. His video in Tiktok have been widely shared, gaining the acceptance of many in the Philippines, where Karaoke is essentially a national sport, and not only.

« When he speaks and gives lectures he is not the ordinary, official priest. He sings. He is a Philippian. He is a karaoke priest, « said Michael Xiao Chua, a historian at De La Salle University, talking to the Guardian.

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Tagle has a « out -of -climate » style and is like a « rock star » after the operation, he added, saying he saw volunteers circle around Tagle to manage the queues of people who wanted to greet him.

By .. doctor, cardinal

The 67 -year -old Tagle was born in Imus, near the Manila Metro area, to Catholic parents working in a bank.

« It’s (of) a very simple family – not poor, but not rich, » said Mary John Mananzan, a missionary sister who has known Tagle for decades.

Tagle allegedly wanted to become a doctor, but he entered the church after a priest fooled him to apply for a priest in Quezon City.

He took a doctorate at the Catholic University of America and became bishop of Imus and later Archbishop of Manila. In 2012, Pope Benedict Esa made him a cardinal.

But his rise to the highest levels of the Catholic Church did not exist without confrontation.

The categories

Tagle served as President of Caritas Internationalis from 2015 to 2022, when the leadership team was removed due to worries about mismanagement.

At that time, Tagle – who did not participate in daily work – said that the decision did not involve complaints about sexual abuse or mismanagement of money.

In March of this year, a group of survivors, the network of survivors of those abused by priests, requested an investigation into Tangle and five other cardinals in relation to the handling of cases of alleged children by Caritas Internationalis in New Zealand and New Zealand. Tagle has not commented on anything about it.

Activists have said that Tagle has not worked hard enough to deal with sexual abuse in the church. Anne Barrett Doyle, a co -director of Bishopaccountability.org, said last week that the Church in the Philippines was in « dark times » on the subject and that the guidelines for the treatment of complaints had not been published on the Archbishop’s website.

Doubting his suitability, he said: « If the Cardinal Tangle cannot even persuade his Bishop’s brothers from his homeland to publish guidelines, what good can we expect to succeed as a Pope of a World Church? »

However, the Conference of Catholic Bishops of the Philippines defended Tagle, stating that during his term as Bishop of Imus and Archbishop of Manila had « participated in the development and implementation » of guidelines for the handling of sexual abuses,

Tagle, he said, « has consistently supported a humble and sensitive church that listens to the cries of wounded and acts decisively to protect the vulnerable. »

For the war against drugs

In the Philippines, Tagle has also been accused of being delayed to condemn the so -called drugs against former Philippine president Rodrigo Durerte. Up to 30,000 people were killed in the repression, which began after Duterte’s duties in June 2016 were taken. Many victims were young men who were shot on the streets.

In 2017, Tagle wrote a pastoral letter in which he criticized the murders, saying: « We cannot rule the nation by killing. We cannot promote a human and dignified Philippine culture by killing.  » However, some say that he should have spoken clearer earlier.

Duterte’s war against drugs marked a difficult chapter for the Catholic Church in the Philippines. Some priests risk retaliation by criticizing the killings, and despite the international outcry for the murders, Duterte remained particularly popular with the majority of the majority in the Catholic community.

Mary John Mananzan said Tagle was not a « condemnable press ». « He had very strong statements about out -of -court executions … but he never (talked) about Duterte as a person. »

In the Philippines …

Tagle opposed the adoption of the Philippine reproductive health bill, which offered free contraceptives and family planning information. It is also opposed to the rights of abortions.

If Tagle was appointed Pope, this would be accepted with huge festivities in the Philippines, where 80% of the population are Catholics.

Despite the history of 500 years with the Catholic Church, the Philippines always felt that it exists on the outskirts, said historian Xiao Chua.

Pope Francis was the first non -European Pope for centuries, he said, a trend to continue.

« We need (another) pope from the region. »