The highly anticipated conclave to select a new pope begins tomorrow in Rome. 133 cardinals are in the Vatican for the historic selection to secede Pope Francis following his death on April 21 at the age of 88.
Among the cardinals publicly named by those who follow the church is Cardinal Luis Tagle, 67, who could become the first Asian pope.
According to Sky News, Tagle’s nickname is “Asian Francis,” a reference to the pope he could replace and an indication he would carry on Pope Francis’ progressive values.
Francis promoted him to cardinal-bishop in 2020 eight years after Pope Benedict made Tagle a cardinal. The decision by Francis was seen at the time as a nod by the Pope to Tagle as his successor.
Newsweek reports that he is one of two favorites to become the next pope. The other is Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 70 if you believe the oddsmakers.
Tagle is a native of Manila and had aspirations to become a doctor until someone “tricked” him into applying for the seminary. He participated in the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis.
Time reports that while he is pro-life, he is known to be a strong supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, migrants and the poor. His maternal grandmother was born in China.
“Migration is a chance for people to bloom as human beings. It is a chance for them to create a better life for themselves and future generations,” Tagle said in a message in 2017. “Like Christ on his journey to the cross, migration pushes people beyond their physical and mental borders, it stretches their capacities and takes them through deserts of loneliness and rejection. But people bear this journey of sacrifice for a noble cause.”
He also called criticism of the LGBTQ+ community, unwed mothers and divorced and separated couples as “quite severe.”
“Many people who belonged to those groups were branded and that led to their isolation from the wider society,” he said in 2015 to the Catholic youth Congress.
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