Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has taken a historic step for the Asian Catholic Church after being elected dean of the College of Cardinals, becoming the first Asian prelate to hold the position.
Pope Leo XIV approved Tagle’s election, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) confirmed Friday, October 9.
The 69-year-old cardinal succeeds Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, 92, who has served as dean since January 2020.
Tagle’s appointment places a Filipino church leader at the helm of the College of Cardinals, whose members advise the pope and take part in choosing his successor when the papacy becomes vacant.
The dean has a particularly important role during a papal transition, including convening cardinals ahead of a conclave and presiding over the election of a new pope if eligible. The position, however, does not grant authority to govern fellow cardinals.
Tagle currently serves as pro-prefect of the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization.
As the new dean, he will also assume the title associated with the suburbicarian see of Ostia while retaining that of Albano.
Re, meanwhile, will keep the title of dean emeritus and his titular church of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto.
The deanship was traditionally held for life until Pope Francis introduced a five-year term in 2019, renewable for another five years.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.