Who is Luis Tagle? The 'playful' cardinal who could make history as the first Asian pope
The 67-year-old, who is often referred to as the "Asian Francis", has been put on unofficial shortlists as cardinals gather in Rome for the conclave to choose the next pope. Here is everything you need to know.
Tuesday 6 May 2025 16:07, UK
Luis Tagle, a cardinal from the Philippines, could become the first ever pope from Asia.
The 67-year-old, often referred to as the "Asian Francis" - a reference to Pope Francis - has been put on unofficial shortlists as cardinals gather in Rome for the conclave to choose the next pope.
Here is everything you need to know.
Experienced candidate
On paper, Cardinal Tagle, seems to have all the boxes ticked to qualify him to be a pope.
He has decades of pastoral and administrative experience, working as bishop of Imus and then as archbishop of Manila before being made cardinal by Pope Benedict in 2012.
He was elevated to the rank of cardinal-bishop by Francis in 2020, a senior role within the College of Cardinals that involves being responsible for a church in a suburb of Rome.
The promotion was seen by some as Francis favouring Cardinal Tagle as his successor at the time.
A cardinal with a 'playful side'
Preferring to be called "Chito", Cardinal Tagle is widely regarded as having an infectious smile, easy laugh, and spontaneity with words, similar to Francis.
He came to Rome from the Philippines, a country that is far from the Catholic Church's traditional power base of Europe, but is the biggest Catholic nation in Asia, and the third largest in the world.
He is described as being "unafraid to share his emotions and sentimentality in public" on the College of Cardinals website, and someone who "often displays a playful side, as when dancing with youth, or in the sanctuary, or celebrating Mass in a folksy and casual manner".
Cardinal Tagle moved to the Vatican after becoming a cardinal, but would regularly fly back to the Philippines, unannounced to check on his parents, have his hair cut by a local barber, and make surprise visits to neighbours and relatives, according to Sky News' US partner network NBC News.
As a result, many faithfuls already know Cardinal Tagle personally, including young people, which could be seen as an important factor for growing the faith.
However, at 67, he is one of the younger electors to take part in the conclave.
Age may be a big factor in determining the next pope, with many electors favouring older candidates so they do not have one leader in the role for an extensive period of time.
LGBTQ+ issues
In recent years, the Philippine Catholic Church has become more open to LGBTQ+ Catholics, including in a 2024 position paper in which the church acknowledged the community's "important role in the life of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines".
If elected, Cardinal Tagle could continue Francis's more open embrace of LGBTQ individuals into the next papacy.
In the past, he has lamented the church's "harsh words" on gay and divorced people, but he has rarely spoken publicly about his personal views on the topic.
Edwin Valles, former president of Courage Philippines, an LGBTQ organisation under the archdiocese of Manila, told NBC News when he asked Cardinal Tagle about the status of LGBTQ Catholics in 2018, the cardinal replied: "All of us are Catholics, all of us are parishioners, all of us are children of God. So why make that label and distinction? That just serves to separate or put people in boxes."
Read more:
Who could be the next pope?
How is a new pope chosen?
What are the chances of a British pope?
Management scandal
During his career, Cardinal Tagle headed the Vatican's Caritas Internationalis - a confederation of more than 160 Catholic relief, social service, and development organisations around the world - between 2015 and 2022 before coming to Rome permanently.
However, his tenure at Caritas was not without controversy, and some have questioned his management skills.
In 2022, Francis ousted the entirety of the Caritas management, including demoting Tagle. The Holy See said an outside investigation had found "real deficiencies" in management that had affected staff morale.
Use our slider below to look through some of the key contenders to be the next pope. For more on who the different cardinals are, read our explainer story.