SANCTIFYING OFFICE

Humanitarian and Pastoral Work

Ranked among the youngest cardinals in the Catholic Church, Tagle headed the Archdiocese of Manila, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, and capital of the Philippines. His country is unique for many reasons: it is Asia’s only predominantly Christian country, where abortion is illegal, divorce and same-sex “marriage” are not permitted under the law, and the Church is still fighting the government’s plan to distribute free contraceptives to the poor. Cardinal Tagle has been appointed to leadership roles for various charitable and humanitarian works, including president of Caritas Internationalis and the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Tagle is a consistent supporter of Pope Francis’ approach to Church governance and to Church teaching. “[Francis’] first year in a way articulated many of the things that I believed in and probably could not or have not been able to articulate verbally or even pastorally in terms of action,” Tagle explains. ¹Quoted in Cindy Wooden, Luis Antonio Tagle: Leading by Listening (Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 2015), 59.The American journalist John Allen described Tagle as the “Asian Pope Francis.” Fr. Joseph Komonchak, Tagle’s doctoral dissertation director, agrees: “He was, in many respects by the way he exercised his ministry, a Pope Francis before Pope Francis.” ²Quoted in Wooden, Luis Antonio Tagle.

Cardinal Tagle was appointed president of Caritas Internationalis in 2015. A few months later, he encouraged Indonesia’s Catholic community to be active in interfaith working groups and to spread the message of Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’.Tagle’s message to Caritas encouraged members to be less wasteful and, instead, to be sacrificial and share with others in a form of “active love.” In the presidential role, Tagle focused on helping those who are in need, spiritually or physically, by responding to humanitarian needs, which is a reflection of Tagle’s involvement in helping the poor in the Philippines.

As part of World Youth Day in January 2019, Tagle accepted a prophetic manifesto on behalf of the Church. Young activists created the manifesto, “calling for everyone, ourselves first, to urgently act to protect our planet and the poorest and most vulnerable people.” Cardinal Tagle has been celebrated for his work with youth in Manila and other parts of the world. In one case, Tagle led the Baptism of more than four hundred children from some of Manila’s poor districts.³Top 10 Highlights 2019,” Global Catholic Climate Movement, 17 December 2019

At World Youth Day in Lisbon in 2023, Tagle further burnished his credentials with young people, calling on a group of Filipino youth to be social media influencers with a purpose: to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “Please, young people of the Philippines, spread the influence of Jesus, the influence of truth, justice, caring for the earth, and caring for fellow human beings in the world called social media,” Tagle said.

Media Presence

Cardinal Tagle has a strong media presence, including on social networking sites. He has collaborated with Jesuit Communications in the Philippines for various television and radio productions, including The Word Exposed, Prayer over Coffee, and Light Talk. He has utilized each production to share his thoughts and reflections about the gospel, as well as evangelize those living in the Philippines and abroad. Tagle’s messages during the various broadcasts may not be theologically complex but are admired by his audiences. Tagle is seen in many cases dressed in a simple clerical shirt and has regularly worn lay clothing in his public appearances, talks, and meetings. The Word Exposed continues to be produced and streamed live on Facebook from Rome every Sunday. Tagle has emphasized the importance of building relationships through virtual platforms and encountering others in more social gatherings, encouraging others to share personal stories and learn from one another.⁴Cardinal Tagle to Continue TV Program from Rome,” Manila Bulletin, 8 March 2020

Dancing Liturgies

During Tagle’s installation as archbishop of Manila, his parents danced the Caracol, a traditional dance of the Cavite natives.Cardinal Tagle concelebrated the installation Mass of Msgr. Reynaldo Evangelista as the new bishop of Imus in 2013.During the offertory, Bishop Evangelista and several priests began dancing the Caracol. The cardinal has also danced in front of an altar during youth gatherings.⁵Radyo Veritas, PH (@RadyoVeritasPH), “Cardinal Tagle doing the #Dab #Dabshot at the @ThePCNE #PCNE3 #Awa2016 #MayMercySaPCNE3 Have a blessed Sunday,” Twitter, 16 July 2016, 10:11 p.m. In January 2015, Cardinal Tagle opened the Philippine Conference on New Evangelization by celebrating the Misa ng Bayang Pilipino on a round platform with a round altar in the center. During the opening of the Mass, a line of men, women, and children danced four times around the stage with the altar on it. Following the procession of dancers, moving to the beat of a clapping audience, four men stood at the four corners of the stage (or the four points of the compass), blowing bullhorn trumpets. The Mass included colored lights and laser light projections.

In January 2015, Pope Francis visited Manila and celebrated a massive outdoor Mass arranged by Cardinal Tagle. According to reports, nearly six million Catholics attended the Mass. One of the reasons the Mass was so large was because Cardinal Tagle canceled all of the Sunday Masses in every church in the diocese for that day, forcing every Catholic wishing to fulfill his Sunday obligation to attend the outdoor papal Mass.

Liturgical Feasts, Pachamama

Tagle’s approach to governing his local Church reflects his strong desire to reconcile or mesh Catholic life with local culture. On Ash Wednesday 2015, for example, Cardinal Tagle granted a dispensation from the canonically imposed fasting and abstinence from meat that mark the first day of Lent. Tagle said that this dispensation was made “in view of the celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year, its cultural and spiritual importance and the traditional practices associated with it.”

On October 4, 2019, Cardinal Tagle attended an event hosted at the Vatican Gardens which purported to celebrate the feast of St. Francis. During the event, a tree from Assisi was planted by Pope Francis and Amazonian leaders from Brazil, “as a symbol of integral ecology, to consecrate the Synod on Amazonia to Saint Francis, shortly before the fortieth anniversary of the papal proclamation of the Poverello of Assisi as the patron of ecologists.” At the same time, the indigenous participants, with Tagle looking on, bowed down in a circle to what many said were Pachamama idols. The Vatican called them life and fertility symbols.

In May 2024, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Tagle as his special envoy to the National Eucharistic Congress in the United States, scheduled for July 2024. He celebrated the closing Mass of the congress on July 21, 2024.

GOVERNING OFFICE

Leadership Style

When Cardinal Tagle was in the seminary, a rector once told him: “You can be domineering if you want something done well.” Reflecting on that experience, Cardinal Tagle remarks: “Now I think I’m moving to the other extreme—even in discussions—I have an idea and I wait for people, thinking maybe they will say it. Thanks to that rector, I’ve become more accommodating, more appreciative of the gifts of others, more consultative, more participatory in my approach to projects.”⁶Cindy Wooden, Luis Antonio Tagle: Leading by Listening (Collegeville, M.N.: Liturgical Press, 2015), chap. 4, “On Being a Bishop,” ebook ed.

When Cardinal Tagle became Archbishop of Manila, he was criticized for not strongly enough opposing a reproductive health law providing universal access to contraception. But Cardinal Tagle feels that sometimes bishops “sound more like the church is the sacrament of damnation rather than the sacrament of salvation. …Jesus did not come to condemn and that’s what most of us are doing.”⁷Cindy Wooden, Luis Antonio Tagle: Leading by Listening (Collegeville, M.N.: Liturgical Press, 2015), chap. 4, “On Being a Bishop,” ebook ed.

In terms of leading clergy, in February 2022, he encouraged priests not to be intimidated by the concept of “evangelization,” saying it can be a “simple human interaction” and a “conversation about Jesus.” He stressed the importance of commitment to mission, adding that the more Jesus “loves you, the more he sends you.”

Church and State

The Philippines is host to rich jurisprudence regarding the relationship of the church and the state, resulting in a constant media following on statements issued by the cardinal on matters of public life, not only on doctrinal ones but even on political matters.⁸The most notable recent case being Re: Letter of Tony Q. Valenciano, Holding of Religious Rituals at the Hall of Justice Building in Quezon City (2017), which challenged the constitutionality of Catholic Masses being held at the Quezon City Hall of Justice. The Supreme Court held that such does not offend the principle of separation of church and state. As a Church leader in the Philippines, Tagle has dealt with illegal-drug issues and the policies of Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte. Tagle has also been cast into the public spotlight due to President Duterte’s extremely aggressive, violent campaigns against organized crime and rebel groups.

In a homily given at the Manila cathedral on the day of the 2016 elections, Tagle called on the candidates to make it clear to themselves what human dignity and human rights mean to them. To the voters, he said that the Catholic bishops of the country do not ask them to vote for any particular candidate, only that they be guided by the common good.

Tagle urged the faithful not to vote for candidates who have declared indifference to the Church’s moral teachings. The voters were asked to make sure that the candidate they voted for, as well as being a great leader, a capable administrator of government affairs, and a person with a plan for the country and people, was a person of strong moral character.

In the face of President Duterte’s controversial tirades against God, Tagle told his priests to stay calm and urged them not to be distracted from other pressing concerns. “While these questions are extremely important for the dialogue between faith and current concerns, let us not be distracted from addressing other pressing concerns with the fervor of faith and love,” Tagle said. In a letter to the priests of the Archdiocese of Manila, he reminded them of issues such as rising prices of goods, job security, the plight of overseas Filipino workers, and violence in communities, even as they deal with questions about God.

“We cannot address these problems just by blaming someone. Those who believe in God must work faithfully and joyfully for the Lord. Those who do not believe in God must serve out of human decency, generosity, and concern for neighbors,” he added.

Drug Crime

On September 8, 2017, the feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Cardinal Tagle published a written statement against the radical drug-related killings in the Philippines. Tagle noted that he had met with families of victims, as well as individuals from the Philippine National Police Academy. He not only encouraged pastors and leaders of parishes to support any grieving families in their parish communities, but also asked that beginning on September 14, 2017, the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, “there be a 5-minute tolling or ringing of church bells at 8:00 in the evening to call on everyone to remember the dead and pray for them.” In previous statements, Tagle also requested “all the parishes in the Archdiocese of Manila to mark the nine days from August 21 (memorial of Pope St. Pius X) to August 29 (Beheading of St. John the Baptist) as time to offer prayers at all Masses for the repose of those who have died in this war, for the strength of their families, for the perseverance of those recovering from addiction and the conversion of killers.”

China Connections

Cardinal Tagle’s family ties with China, his generally good and close Sino-Philippine relations, and his recent appointment as prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples are seen as placing him in a strategically important position for furthering Sino-Vatican ties at a time when those relations are most sensitive. They would also naturally be useful if he were ever to be elected pope. Tagle, however, is not expected to bring any moral hawkishness to the negotiating table but rather to continue with his current dovish stance.

In October 2022, Tagle defended the Vatican’s controversial decision that year to renew its 2018 provisional agreement with China on the appointment of bishops.

He said he believed renewal of the agreement would “reassure, comfort, and enliven baptized Catholics in China” and he underlined the importance of dialogue.

Tagle dismissed criticisms of the Vatican’s consequent silence in response to human rights violations in the country, countering that the Holy See “never ignores and indeed always makes present” situations of suffering faced by Catholic communities. He stressed that listening to Beijing’s own concerns helped the Church enter into their “mindset” and “discover that things that are absolutely clear and almost obvious to us can be new and unknown to them.”

He recalled his Chinese maternal grandfather whom he described as a “pragmatic Chinese Catholic” who helped him to “consider what can be more useful in the dialogue with the Chinese government.” Sometimes, he added, “it is better to look for simple and direct arguments, to meet the concrete and pragmatic approach of our interlocutors.”

Tagle said he was aware of criticisms of the agreement from Cardinal Joseph Zen and others, saying these were “part of the process.”

“The Holy See does not ignore and does not even minimize the differences of reactions among Chinese Catholics in the face of the agreement, where the joy of many is intertwined with the perplexities of others,” he said.

“But one always has to dirty one’s hands with the reality of things as they are. Many signs attest that many Chinese Catholics have grasped the inspiration followed by the Holy See in the ongoing process. They are grateful and comforted for a process that confirms before all their full communion with the Pope and the universal Church.”

A year earlier, Tagle was reminded of his migrant roots while visiting refugee camps, and became visibly emotional when he shared the story of his grandfather’s migration journey from China to the Philippines as a child.

Handling of Abuse

In a 2019 profile on Cardinal Tagle’s position as a possible successor to Pope Francis, John Allen named several hurdles the cardinal would have to clear to be considered as a serious candidate.  Summarizing the cardinal’s record on handling abuse, the journalist said: “[M]any experts on the clerical abuse crisis believe the response of the Church’s traditional mission territories so far has been spotty, including Tagle’s own home nation of the Philippines. Further, there are also concerns about how he handled a situation as president of the global Catholic charitable federation Caritas in which a known pedophile priest, a Belgian missionary in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was left in place despite a 2012 conviction back home for child sexual abuse and possession of child pornography.”

Cardinal-Bishop

In May 2020, Pope Francis elevated Tagle to the rank of cardinal-bishop, making him one of the highest-ranking prelates in the Church and the most senior Filipino bishop in the history of Christianity in the Philippines. The pope had to break with tradition to make the promotion, which observers read as a sign that he has Francis’ stamp of approval.

Caritas Internationalis

In November 2022, Pope Francis terminated Cardinal Tagle’s two-term tenure as president of Caritas Internationalis, along with other leaders of the Vatican-based coordinating body for Catholic humanitarian organizations. The Pope’s decision followed an independent review that found deficiencies in Caritas Internationalis’ “management and procedures, seriously prejudicing team-spirit and staff morale.” Tagle said the decision was “a call to walk humbly with God and to a process of discernment.” The reasons for Tagle’s inclusion in the firings remains unknown. Michel Roy, who served as secretary general of the organizations from 2011 to 2019, did not think it was due to any bad management from Tagle.  Fr. Ramon Gregory Gaston, rector of the Pontificio Collegio Filippino, echoed Tagle in saying there was “no financial management or sexual impropriety” involved and that Tagle had been given more work to do within Caritas Internationalis as he oversaw the transition of the organization to new directors.

TEACHING OFFICE

Theological Influences

When asked to name which writers have made the biggest impression on him during his theological studies, Tagle said, “The French Dominican Yves Congar, the German Jesuit Karl Rahner, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger . . . Among South Americans I read a lot of Leonardo Boff, Gustavo Gutiérrez, and Segundo Galilea. Among the women, I read Professors Elizabeth Johnson, Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, and Rosemary Ruether. Among Italians I read many lectures by Cardinal Carlo Martini.”⁹Luis Antonio Tagle, I Have Learned from the Least: My Life, My Hopes (Maryknoll, N.Y. Orbis Books, 2017), chap. 4, “Theology, a Second Love,” ebook ed.

Educated at the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila and the Loyola School of Theology, Tagle wrote his doctorate at the Catholic University of America on “Episcopal Collegiality in the Teaching and Practice of Paul VI.” Tagle’s director was Fr. Joseph A. Komonchak, S.J., who helped his student become a member of the editorial board of the so-called Bologna School’s monumental five-volume History of Vatican II, co-edited by Komonchak and Giuseppe Alberigo.¹⁰Wooden, Luis Antonio Tagle, 65. In many other speeches and writings, Tagle has praised Paul VI’s furtherance of the “collegial process,” especially his institution of the Synod of Bishops. Tagle has argued that Vatican II was a “transitional council” and “the institutional reforms initiated by the council and Paul VI were also transitional in character,” for the Council requires “acceptance of the breakdown of the logic that gave coherent form to ‘Roman Catholicism,’” an acceptance that takes time and changes in ecclesial praxis, institutions, and laws.¹¹Luis Antonio G Tagle, “Episcopal Collegiality and the Ecclesiological Project of Vatican II,” Landas 7 (1993): 149-60 at 158.

During his tenure as a professor, Tagle did not publish any works on theology.¹²Tagle, “Episcopal Collegiality,” 149-60 at 158. He has been praised for mastering “The Art of Theological Narrative — in the Philippines and Asia.”¹³Victor R Salanga, review of “It Is the Lord!”: Occasional Lectures at Loyola School of Theology, by Luis Antonio Tagle, Landas 17, no. 2 (2003): 315-16 at 316.

Vatican II

When asked for his thoughts on the “revolution” of Pope Francis, Cardinal Tagle likes to say: “Revolution? He calls the Church to get out of itself. I say, ‘That’s not Pope Francis, that’s Vatican II.’ The Pope is just leading us back to the Church at Vatican II. So when we say the Pope is teaching us something new, it’s a sign that we have not received Vatican II.”

Tagle has said he does not believe diversity is a bad thing, and that it is important to start “from what unites us, to understand what the other is not, in his diversity, a threat.” In a speech in 2020, he said every baptized person is called to share their faith, that serving the poor “is already proclaiming the Gospel,” and stressing that while there is a “healthy secularity,” the problem arises when it becomes “secularism” that declares the world “would be better without God.”¹⁴Cindy Wooden, Luis Antonio Tagle: Leading by Listening (Collegeville, M.N.: Liturgical Press, 2015), chap. 4, “On Being a Bishop,” ebook ed.

Tradition for New Situations

On the eve of Pope Paul VI’s beatification, Tagle, who was attending the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Pastoral Challenges to the Family, spoke with Fr. Thomas Rosica, C.S.B., of Salt and Light Media about Paul VI’s contribution to the development of a modern Catholic Church. “What I learned from Paul VI is the ability to listen. [It’s] very clear that we received a patrimony — something that we do not invent — the Word of God, the tradition,” Tagle declared He continued:

But [we should be] convinced that it is a living tradition . . . and that the Word is still in the hands of God. How do we listen to the Word and discover in the tradition things we have forgotten, or things we have not seen yet? Because the tradition is very rich! No single person, no single country, no single local Church, or even the greatest saint could have captured the totality of that tradition. So if it is a living tradition, there is also a living mode of rediscovering it and the changing times could really push us. Some might say we are succumbing to pressures of the world, but in my studies of Vatican II and Paul VI, it was not their intention to change doctrine but to go into the wealth of Christian tradition and discover what will the Christian tradition say about these new situations.

In an interview with Catholic News Agency, Cardinal Tagle described his general approach to pastoral care when that care comes in close contact with objective moral norms. He was asked, “How do we open the doors of those [with unique situations] in a compassionate way without compromising the Church’s teaching?” To this, the cardinal replied, I think it’s a matter also of pastoral approach. An appreciation again of the beauty of the teachings of the Church, presented calmly, without any judgment, and then: how do we help those who are not in harmony with the Church? Sometimes, the situation has to be remedied. But, sometimes, the situation cannot be remedied any more.

Moral Ambiguities

In most interviews and press statements, Tagle has been very careful with his language, particularly on controversial moral questions. True to his pastoral style, he uses various arguments in promoting the Church’s position on different issues. When he was once confronted with leading questions citing statistics that may present a strong case for contraception and against natural family planning, he quipped: “There are studies showing that natural planning is scientific. . . . The trend now is natural. With food, people want organic. How come when it comes to size of families, they want it artificial? The world must decide.”¹⁵BBC journalist Stephen Sackur mentioned UN statistics of 100,000 children on the streets of Manila.

During a news conference held during Pope Francis’ apostolic visit to the Philippines in 2015, Tagle spoke alongside Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi about same-sex “marriage” after it had been discussed in the Extraordinary Synod. Lombardi laid the groundwork for the conference that “it is well known that the perspective of the Church on the family is that the family is based on the union of a man and the woman and the children that come from this union.” Tagle, who was seated beside him, augmented the discussion by sharing some sentiments by bishops and laypeople during the Extraordinary Synod that foreign aid extended to them oftentimes is linked to some measures that the receiving country is forced to accept. Some of those conditions of the aid seem to be an acceptance of views regarding marriage or sexuality that could be foreign to the bishop of the receiving country. It is thus difficult to say confidently whether Tagle opposes same-sex civil “marriages.”

At the 2018 youth synod, it was noted at a Vatican press conference attended by Tagle that moral issues were hardly discussed except in a negative sense related to moralism, despite the importance of morality in young people’s formation. Cardinal Tagle would only say “it was discussed” in his English-language group but offered no further details. None of the others on the panel responded. Observers found the response inadequate and showing unease about discussing the Church’s moral teaching.

Contraception

Tagle seems to affirm Church teaching on the immorality of contraception. In an interview with the BBC, he was asked if he regretted the very strong stand he and the Catholic Church took against the “Reproductive Health” bill passed by the Filipino government in 2011, guaranteeing universal access to contraception and promoting population control. To this, he replied, “I think the Church cannot reinvent a teaching [about contraception] . . . We are duty bound to proclaim again and again the teaching that we have received.” But he said although this is Church teaching, “we have to be sensitive, pastorally, to the difficulties that persons and families face.” In the same interview, he was asked his opinion on a strong statement made by one of the bishops on the issue, who characterized contraception as corruption. Tagle answered, “That was only a statement of a bishop. The Church has a common stand but each bishop has their own language.” When asked if he considered the statement a mistake, Tagle replied, “I would probably have used a different language.”

In an interview with Catholic News Agency, Tagle was asked whether the strong statements of the popes made any impact on those pushing for contraception legislation Tagle replied:

I think those who support the law knew from the very start the position of the Church. So I don’t think they were surprised that the Holy Father would reiterate the teaching of the Church. He is not at liberty to just invent his own teaching. So, we see his affirmation of the teaching of Pope Paul VI in Humanae Vitae. The Holy Father also alerted us to another aspect of the teaching of Paul VI, which is this: particular cases must be addressed individually, and they must be brought to the confessors, and the confessors must bring with them hearts of compassion and understanding as they evaluate particular situations and cases. There he was able to blend fidelity to teaching, and at the same time, seeing how individual cases are unique.

It is unclear what, if any, action Cardinal Tagle has taken as president of Caritas Internationalis, the umbrella organization for all Catholic humanitarian agencies, with regard to some prominent Caritas members receiving considerable funding from organizations promoting contraception and abortion. One such organization is Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the U.S. bishops’ relief agency. Since Tagle was first elected Caritas president in 2015, CRS has not only received millions of dollars from such organizations as the pro-contraception Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (nearly $4 million in 2019) but has also been complicit in working with contraception and abortion providers. Cardinal Tagle has yet to make any public comment about the issue.

Under Tagle’s leadership, Caritas has also given strong and uncritical support for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, despite goal number three, which promotes “sexual and reproductive health” (code for abortion and contraception) for the world’s poorest.

Against Liberal and Conservative Labels

On several occasions, Cardinal Tagle has implored the media to stop using labels when it comes to a person’s stand on issues involving the Church. During a press briefing with Philippine media on issues discussed during the 2014 Extraordinary Synod of Bishops with the theme “Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization,” the reporters chose to highlight the outcome of the discussions on same-sex “marriage” and divorce as indicative of a “divide” between progressives or liberals and conservatives or traditionalists within the Catholic Church. To this, Tagle replied:

Let me address the journalists. I don’t think it is helpful to label people. Labelling people as progressive, as conservative, as traditionalists, may hinder a full listening to them. If we have decided already in our minds, “this person is traditionalist,” whatever the person says, you or we, will always say, “Ah, traditionalist.” Or if a person says something that does not sound traditionalist, we change the label — “Ah, he’s not a traditionalist, he’s a progressive.”

A person will always be deeper than any label. And no person especially talking about deep, deep mysteries — love, marriage, relationship — could be labelled. It is not helpful to the public. It is not helpful to us. It is not helpful to you to think of persons based on names. Let us listen, listen, to the totality. Try to understand, and from that understanding we will get a better picture of the event.

From these and other public comments, it is unclear how Tagle’s desire for no “labels” accords with the Church’s teaching that some situations are objectively contrary to nonnegotiable moral norms, such as living in a conjugal manner with someone who is not one’s sacramental spouse.

Addressing the General Conference of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) in Thailand in 2022, Cardinal Tagle outlined a vision of an inclusive Church, one that welcomed those whose actions are traditionally condemned by Church doctrine. “God wants us to journey with those who might differ from us,” he said, and that “with Jesus, it will be a journey of mercy and compassion, not of condemnation; of patience, not of destruction.”

Right-to-Life Issues

 On the matter of abortion, the cardinal stated in an interview with Church-run radio station Radio Veritas that “many of us are worried about the extra-judicial killings, but why are there only a few who raise their misgivings about abortion? We have to be more vocal against abortion because that is a form of murder too.”¹⁶Katrina Domingo, “Tagle Slams Killings, Says Gov’t Must Give People a Chance,” ABS-CBN News, 29 August 2016

Tagle emphasizes the need for consistency in protecting life. He stresses that human life, which is sacred, must be respected and protected at every stage and in every condition, but the moral outcry in the name of life is nothing without consistency. “[Be] consistent in defending the sacredness of life,” the cardinal said.¹⁷Katrina Domingo, “Tagle Slams Killings, Says Gov’t Must Give People a Chance,” ABS-CBN News, 29 August 2016 Tagle called for strong condemnation of all forms of murder, from summary executions of alleged criminals to aborting babies.

The cardinal has also spoken clearly about his view on the impermissibility of euthanasia in law. At a time when pro–death penalty lawmakers pushed for the supposed benefits of capital punishment, Cardinal Tagle reiterated the Church’s stance regarding legislation that threatens life, emphasizing the fact that man was created in the image and likeness of God. “This is the reason why an ethic of life, a culture of life, is inconsistent with abortion, euthanasia, human trafficking, mutilation, and violence against innocent and vulnerable persons. Before God the source of life, we are humble. We cannot pretend to be gods.”¹⁸Cardinal Tagle on Death Penalty: ‘We Cannot Pretend to Be Gods,’” ABS-CBN News, 2 February 2017

During a visit to Canada, where doctor-assisted suicide had recently been legalized, Tagle stated in an interview that priests in the Philippines do not come across such situations because of the strong support system within the Church and their families.¹⁹Cecile Docto, “Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle on Family Values, Doctor-Assisted Suicide, Philippine Divorce Bill,” Balitang America, 21 March 2018 “In the moral tradition of the church, we have a process of discernment,” he said. “When a sick person employs what we call extraordinary means to be alive and then there is really almost no chance of recovery. Then the Church with pastoral accompaniment helps either the patient or the family to see whether maybe this is already the moment of natural death.”

Priestly Celibacy, Women’s Diaconate, Homosexual Priests

Priestly celibacy, a women’s diaconate, homosexuals in Holy Orders, and Communion for divorced-and-civilly-“remarried” Catholics: these are all issues about which the cardinal admits he does not yet have definitive answers. For example, Tagle believes that the discipline of priestly celibacy deserves further discernment. In an article written by Tagle for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, he suggested that priestly celibacy requires a “fuller and more just understanding” in order to “situate it within the Church’s rich spiritual, pastoral and canonical tradition.”

Attempting to make sense of possible correlation between the sexual abuse crisis in the Church and priestly celibacy, the cardinal suggests:

The crisis has impelled us to understand again the promise to remain celibate and to lead a chaste life. This approach will resonate with the traditions of the ancient religions in Asia. We need, especially in formation, theology, canon law and moral theology a serious evaluation of this issue and the varying opinions on it. Many people think that celibacy is simply a rule that the conservative Church has to observe for the sake of tradition. Some make it the culprit for all types of sexual misconduct. Others defend it but in a narrowly legalistic way that proves ineffectual. We need a serene but comprehensive consideration of the matter.

Another contentious issue is who may be admitted to Holy Orders. At a press briefing during the Vatican youth synod held in October 2018, Cardinal Tagle was asked about the possible admission of homosexuals to seminaries and to Holy Orders. His reply was noncommittal. Cardinal Tagle said that while the discussions during the synod focused on “the humane regard of the Church to people, whatever their sexual orientation may be, it was also very clear that, while the constant attitude is that of respect for human dignity and the human person, we also recognize that in different states of life, especially in the Church, there are some demands or some requisites or some requirements that we have to look at, for the proper exercise of a charism or a ministry.”

It is unclear whether Tagle has made any public pronouncement concerning the ordination of women to the diaconate. As a member of the International Theological Commission, however, he was part of a subcommittee that unanimously adopted the document From the Diakonia of Christ to the Diakonia of the Apostles, which at the very least recognized that “the present historical overview shows that a ministry of deaconesses did indeed exist, and that this developed unevenly in the different parts of the Church. It seems clear that this ministry was not perceived as simply the feminine equivalent of the masculine diaconate. At the very least it was an ecclesial function, exercised by women, sometimes mentioned together with that of sub-deacon in the lists of Church ministries.”

While the cardinal has not spoken of women in the diaconate, he has alluded to the role of women in discussions on issues directly concerning the universal Church, its doctrine, and its administration. During the 2018 youth synod, Tagle said it had been a different synod as the feminine voice certainly had been a focal point. He said that it was suggested often that female figures in Scripture should be used as interpretative lights for young people today and that the testimony of the young women at the synod provided a much-needed expansion of horizons.²⁰This is one of the rare times the cardinal has highlighted Mary as a model for women in particular. He has given a myriad of statements, however, on why Mary is a role model for people in general. The cardinal said that when the Church talks about diversity it is not just about cultures but also the experience of women, which is unique.

Tagle holds that there is no all-encompassing answer to the question of Communion for the divorced and “remarried.”

Every situation for those who are divorced and “remarried” is quite unique. To have a general rule might be counterproductive in the end. My position at the moment is to ask, “Can we take every case seriously and is there, in the tradition of the Church, paths towards addressing each case individually?” This is one issue that I hope people will appreciate is not easy to say “no” or to say “yes” to. We cannot give one formula for all.

Islam

Tagle has often addressed difficult questions about Islam. His general attitude is probably best captured in his comment that “Vatican II stressed that we Catholics should respect non-Catholics and their religions. We also respect those who do not believe in God. All people should strive to respect those who differ from their beliefs. Religions are not to be used for conflicts but for mutual understanding and peace.”

Tagle has spoken up to address issues relating to the relationship between Catholic and Islamic faith communities. In January 2017, Cardinal Tagle denounced the preferential option for Christians in refugee resettlement programs. Speaking to Catholic News Service, Tagle said that any policy that gave priority to Christians “might revive some of these animosities and might even pit Christians against Muslims, and that (also) might generate contrary action from the Muslims against Christians. This is a time when we don’t want to add to the prejudice, the biases and even discriminatory attitudes evolving in the world.”

Several months later, Tagle suggested that radical Islamist terrorists were to blame for the widespread perception of religiously motivated conflict. Promoting unity and understanding, he called for Muslims and Christians to “remove the wall that separates us . . . because we belong to one human family.” “Whoever plans to divide Muslims and Christians will not triumph,” the cardinal warned.

Regarding the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January 2015, Cardinal Tagle told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour: “We also do not want to jump to the conclusion that these acts are always associated with the religion called Islam.” He went on to say that, in the Philippines, “We have many friends of the Islamic religion and they are the first ones to say, ‘Acts of terror are not part of our religion.’ And I believe them. We have a lot of peace-loving people and they cry also when their religion is in a way misused.”

In 2017, Tagle once again issued statements on the matter amid armed conflict in the Mindanao island of the Philippines involving a radical Islamist group. Some three hundred thousand people, mostly Muslims, had languished in evacuation centers around Marawi since May 23 of that year, when terrorists attacked the city, burning the city’s Catholic cathedral and Protestant church properties.While stating that those who plan division will not triumph, he highlighted “stories of hope” that continued to emerge from the conflict zone and underlined that all belong to one family. Tagle said he had heard of stories about Muslims taking care of Christians whose lives were in danger and Christians helping suffering Muslims.

Migrants and Refugees

Tagle’s views on migration are also complex, but they almost invariably tend to regard views that he considers too nationalistic, deriving from the emotional motives of those who hold such positions. At an interfaith conference on migrants and refugees at the United Nations, co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the UN and Caritas Internationalis, Tagle shared religious beliefs that inspire faith-based organizations to champion the rights of migrants and encourage good behavior toward displaced people and the communities that host them. The experiences of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and the prophet Muhammad were highlighted as examples of forced migration. “Migration is about human persons,” the cardinal said. “I have observed that some people who are afraid of migrants or refugees have had very little personal encounter with them. They do not even know the people they fear. By meeting them, touching their wounds, listening to their stories and dreams, we might see ourselves in them. They are not strangers. They could be me, my parents, my brothers and sisters, my friend.”

Describing how his Chinese grandfather migrated to the Philippines as a child, Cardinal Tagle said, “I have migrant DNA. I am sure you do, too.”

A few months later, right before governments around the world were to discuss in the United Nations, for the first time, a global framework to provide an orientation to states on how to govern migration and how to respond to migrants, Cardinal Tagle wrote:

To the governments who have withdrawn support from the compact on migration, I appeal that they reconsider their decision. In an interconnected world, global issues such as climate change, poverty and the persecution of ethnic and religious minorities call on us to work together. They will not go away if we ignore them or put up walls. When governments look beyond their immediate needs and electoral demands, they begin to protect and promote the common good, which is at the heart of any flourishing society.

 Cardinal Tagle was sent as a Church representative to the decennial Anglican Lambeth Conference in 2022. In his speech, he underlined the importance of welcoming migrants and refugees, criticized populism for “deepening polarisation,” and urged delegates to develop “cultural intelligence” that does away with “any traces of cultural superiority and prejudice.”

Coronavirus Reaction

Cardinal Tagle urged the faithful to look beyond themselves and see the needs of others. “A pandemic spread of a virus must produce a pandemic ‘contagion’ of charity,” he said in a message. “History will judge our generation by the power of self-less love that this common emergency will have generated and spread or will have failed to do so. We thank the heroic people whose love and courage have already been a source of healing and hope these past weeks.”

He said people should wash their hands as advised, “but not the way Pilate did. We cannot wash our hands of our responsibility towards the poor, the elderly, the unemployed, the refugees, the homeless, the health providers, indeed all people, creation and future generations.”

• 1
  Quoted in Cindy Wooden, Luis Antonio Tagle: Leading by Listening (Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 2015), 59.
• 2
  Quoted in Wooden, Luis Antonio Tagle.
• 3
  Top 10 Highlights 2019,” Global Catholic Climate Movement, 17 December 2019
• 4
  Cardinal Tagle to Continue TV Program from Rome,” Manila Bulletin, 8 March 2020
• 5
  Radyo Veritas, PH (@RadyoVeritasPH), “Cardinal Tagle doing the #Dab #Dabshot at the @ThePCNE #PCNE3 #Awa2016 #MayMercySaPCNE3 Have a blessed Sunday,” Twitter, 16 July 2016, 10:11 p.m.
• 6
  Cindy Wooden, Luis Antonio Tagle: Leading by Listening (Collegeville, M.N.: Liturgical Press, 2015), chap. 4, “On Being a Bishop,” ebook ed.
• 7
  Cindy Wooden, Luis Antonio Tagle: Leading by Listening (Collegeville, M.N.: Liturgical Press, 2015), chap. 4, “On Being a Bishop,” ebook ed.
• 8
  The most notable recent case being Re: Letter of Tony Q. Valenciano, Holding of Religious Rituals at the Hall of Justice Building in Quezon City (2017), which challenged the constitutionality of Catholic Masses being held at the Quezon City Hall of Justice. The Supreme Court held that such does not offend the principle of separation of church and state.
• 9
  Luis Antonio Tagle, I Have Learned from the Least: My Life, My Hopes (Maryknoll, N.Y. Orbis Books, 2017), chap. 4, “Theology, a Second Love,” ebook ed.
• 10
  Wooden, Luis Antonio Tagle, 65.
• 11
  Luis Antonio G Tagle, “Episcopal Collegiality and the Ecclesiological Project of Vatican II,” Landas 7 (1993): 149-60 at 158.
• 12
  Tagle, “Episcopal Collegiality,” 149-60 at 158.
• 13
  Victor R Salanga, review of “It Is the Lord!”: Occasional Lectures at Loyola School of Theology, by Luis Antonio Tagle, Landas 17, no. 2 (2003): 315-16 at 316.
• 14
  Cindy Wooden, Luis Antonio Tagle: Leading by Listening (Collegeville, M.N.: Liturgical Press, 2015), chap. 4, “On Being a Bishop,” ebook ed.
• 15
  BBC journalist Stephen Sackur mentioned UN statistics of 100,000 children on the streets of Manila.
• 16
  Katrina Domingo, “Tagle Slams Killings, Says Gov’t Must Give People a Chance,” ABS-CBN News, 29 August 2016
• 17
  Katrina Domingo, “Tagle Slams Killings, Says Gov’t Must Give People a Chance,” ABS-CBN News, 29 August 2016
• 18
  Cardinal Tagle on Death Penalty: ‘We Cannot Pretend to Be Gods,’” ABS-CBN News, 2 February 2017
• 19
  Cecile Docto, “Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle on Family Values, Doctor-Assisted Suicide, Philippine Divorce Bill,” Balitang America, 21 March 2018
• 20
  This is one of the rare times the cardinal has highlighted Mary as a model for women in particular. He has given a myriad of statements, however, on why Mary is a role model for people in general.