Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle
VATICAN CITY (AP) — A Filipino cardinal often mentioned as a possible papal contender has just gotten a new high-profile job heading the Catholic Church’s global charity and development confederation.
Caritas Internationalis’ 165 members elected Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle to be their president Thursday. He succeeds Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodridguez Maradiaga, whose two four-year terms have ended.
Tagle, who will keep his job as archbishop of Manila, is Asia’s most prominent Catholic leader. He garnered international attention in January when he welcomed Pope Francis to the Philippines, where a record 6 million people attended the final Mass.
The 57-year-old Tagle is seen as being in the same vein as Francis in his humble lifestyle and concern for the poor.
Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of Catholic charity organizations operating in some 200 countries. (end)