POPE Francis has appointed Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, archbishop of Manila, as prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, which is one of the nine departments in the Roman Curia, the central governing body of the Catholic Church.
A report from Vatican News said the Tagle succeeds Archbishop Fernando Feloni who will assume the post of Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher.
“With the nomination of Tagle, an Asian cardinal returned to the leadership of Propaganda Fide, which is the ancient name of the important department for evangelization,” said Vatican News.
Tagle is the second Asian to hold the post. The first was Indian cardinal and Holy See diplomat Ivan Dias, from 2006 to 2011.
The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples is responsible for the transmission and dissemination of the faith throughout the world.
It oversees the work of the Catholic Church in most of the dioceses in Africa, Asia, and Oceania. It was given the specific task of coordinating and guiding all the Church’s diverse missionary efforts and initiatives.
Tagle was born on June 21, 1957 in Manila, and was ordained priest in 1982.
At the age of 44, he was nominated bishop of the Diocese of Imus by Saint John Paul II in October 2001.
In October 2011, then Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Archbishop of Manila. He was named as a cardinal in November 2012.
Aside from being archbishop of Manila, Tagle is also president of Caritas Internationalis.
Vatican News said the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples was originally called the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda Fide) when it was first established by Pope Gregory XV in 1622, but Paul VI changed its name to the current one in 1967.
