US EditionThe ‘secret-keeper’ and the ‘Asian Francis’: Questions over two favourites for next pope
- Following Pope Francis' death on Easter Monday 2025, cardinals convened a conclave to elect his successor, with Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as top contenders.
- This election follows years of criticism over the Church's handling of sexual abuse, with both Parolin and Tagle facing scrutiny for systemic failings and limited reform achievements.
- Tagle, a Filipino cardinal and former Manila archbishop now heading the Vatican's Dicastery for Evangelization, is widely regarded as a progressive theologian linked to Francis' vision but criticized for insufficient local reforms.
- Bookmakers rank Parolin just ahead of Tagle with odds of 5-2, while advocates highlight that Tagle 'weeps when he talks about victims' but his record raises doubts about his global impact as pope.
- Electing Tagle would signal continuity of Francis' progressive agenda amid a geographically diverse College of Cardinals, though challenges in abuse transparency and reform remain unresolved.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Cardinals could pick Chito Tagle, 'Asian Francis', as next pope
VATICAN CITY — Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is sometimes called the “Asian Francis” because of his infectious smile, easy laugh, and spontaneity with words. Like the late Argentine pope, he hails from a country far from the Catholic Church’s traditional power base of Europe and came to Rome with an outsider’s view. Some who
Papabili: Filipino Tagle, liked by the young
With a disarming smile and a great informality that is especially liked by young people, Filipino cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, one of the most well-known faces of the Asian Church, is a top papabile (pope tip) whose old video singing John Lennon's Imagine ... (ANSA)
Sydney Morning Herald
The ‘secret-keeper’ and the ‘Asian Francis’: Questions over two favourites for next pope
As cardinals prepare to gather in Rome to elect Pope Francis’ successor, critics have singled out two of the leading candidates.
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