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Herald Malaysia
26-05-2025
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Becoming a ‘learning church' in dialogue with Asian realities
What theologians need to do is to recognize the Canaanite woman in their midst and to let her speak May 26, 2025 Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila sprinkles congregants with Holy Water after celebrating Mass in an urban poor community in the Philippine capital. (Photo: George Moya / UCAN files) By Ruben C. Mendoza People are comfortable listening to familiar stories that they immediately notice whenever there is a seeming deviation from what they are accustomed to. In those moments of dissonance, something seems to be off or worse, 'wrong.' In the task of doing theology, particularly in my Philippine context, there is a particular need to listen to 'unfamiliar, dissonant' sounds. The dominant voice of theology — emanating from the Western center — speaks of realities that are vastly different from those on the ground. While some concerns share resonances, other questions and issues are very much different, emanating from the peripheries. Theologizing from the center seems to be concerned with maintaining the status quo of doing things and not rocking the boat. People on the fringes have a different voice — perhaps not mellifluous in the way that theologians have been trained to problematize such issues — but guttural and instinctive, yearning to be given the chance to be heard. Theologians of Asia need to disabuse themselves of thinking about and responding to First World problems, be they social, pastoral, or theological. The starting points of doing theology in Asia are not the concerns of people in the center. However, this is not to say that those issues are not important or unrelated to local ones, but to genuinely privilege the local. In my context, many of those who live privileged lives ask, 'Where will we go for dinner? What clothes will I wear? What latest mobile phone will I buy? Which car will I use? What kind of business will I establish? Where in the US or Europe will I study?' All of those questions presuppose that there are options available to the one asking the question, choices which ordinary Filipinos do not have. In contrast to those First World concerns, the ordinary 'Filipino everyman' or 'Filipino everywoman,' Juan and Maria de la Cruz, would ask, 'How will I feed my family? Will I be able to buy the clothes I need? What time do I need to get up in the morning, take the public transportation system, and be on time for work? Will I be able to send my kids to school? Why can't the Church accept my being a homosexual? Why are women not treated equally in the Church? When can I be divorced from my abusive husband and receive support from the Church and society? What happens when I get sick? What will happen to my children? Is it really God's will that I am poor?' If the Church is to be truly the 'field hospital' that the late Pope Francis desired it to be, then it is to such people that theologians need to listen and learn from. Instead of doing theology deductively, the challenge for theologians is to do theology inductively. It is for those in the margins that one needs to make sense of the Christian faith. I know that it is so easy to be numb and desensitized to those questions, so perhaps a more provocative question to raise is how theologians internalize the Christian faith so that they are authentically humble and hearers of other people's realities rather than imposing on them what they think is best for the poor, forgotten flock? That is why it is even more important that one keeps one's ear to the ground, listening openly and intently to the 'cry of the poor, the cry of the earth,' smelling like the sheep, to again use a metaphor that the late Pope Francis used, attuned to their needs and sensibilities. This, I think, is at the heart of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences' insistence on the need to engage in dialogue with cultures, religious traditions, and the poor. For a longest time, in the Asian context (and I suppose everywhere else), the Church has acted as a teacher. The Asian bishops insightfully recognized the need to learn from the various ways of life of their peoples, the need to be enriched by the teachings and practices of Asian religious traditions, and the need to listen to the voices of those on the margins. More recently, the Asian bishops, in line with Laudato Si' , have recognized the need to dialogue with our common home, a move away from a highly anthropocentric and androcentric understanding of creation. Listening and learning from the other is at the heart of becoming a synodal church. The challenge now is for the Church to continue the process that was started by Pope Francis, especially the spiritual conversations that have been initiated in the local churches and continue to be conducted. I know that it is easier to inhabit an echo chamber of comfortable theologizing and batting around the same ideas that are within one's expertise, which can give one a false sense of security. The task then is to be aware of one's presuppositions and preconditioning and to let the Word of God that comes from the other — others — to challenge one and perhaps to convert one to greater fidelity to that Word. What theologians need to do is to recognize the Canaanite woman (see Mt 15, 21-28) in their midst, and to let her speak and challenge their assumptions about God, faith and the Church. They need to let the faith of outsiders — the Esaus (see Gen 25-28.32-33.35), Tamars (see Gen 38), Rahabs (see Josh 2), Naamans (see 1 Kgs 5,1-19) and Ruths (see Ruth 1-4) in one's life — disturb them of their complacency and actually learn from them. In this way, one's theology grows from the people and is reflective of God's voice through God's children and our common home. Perhaps they are the poor whose voices from the peripheries are disturbing a more authentic
Khaleej Times
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Filipino Cardinal to be the next pope? Luis Antonio Tagle emerged as strong contender
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 have put Tagle on unofficial short lists for the next pope say he would be a shoo-in to succeed Francis if cardinal electors who enter the secret conclave on Wednesday are looking for as close a similarity as possible in order to assertively continue Francis' progressive streak. If Tagle were elected, it would also likely signal to the world's 1.4 billion Catholics that the cardinals want to go forward with Francis' vision of generally opening up the Church to the modern world by not choosing a man who might roll back some of the late pope's reforms. It would also mean his fellow cardinals had shrugged off question marks over his management abilities. "He would represent a continuity of what Pope Francis has been doing," said Rev. Emmanuel Alfonso, a former student of Tagle's who has known him for decades. "He's really like Pope Francis in terms of his love for the poor, his approachability and so on." Tagle, the former archbishop of Manila, would be the first pope from what is now considered Asia, although in the early Church some popes hailed from what is now called the Middle East, technically part of Asia. Tagle, who looks younger than his 67 years and likes to be called by his diminutive nickname "Chito", has headed the Vatican's Dicastery for Evangelisation, effectively the Church's missionary arm, for the past five years. That position gave him enormous influence over national churches in developing countries. As archbishop of Manila, and before as bishop of the Philippine city of Imus, Tagle gained pastoral experience in running dioceses in Asia's largest Catholic country. By bringing him to the Vatican in 2020, Francis gave him one more notch in experiences seen as helpful to papal candidates. Tagle's move to Rome brought criticism from then-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who oversaw a bloody "war on drugs" that killed thousands of Filipinos during his 2016-2022 administration. Duterte said Tagle had been removed from Manila for meddling in national politics. The Philippine Catholic bishops' conference denied those accusations forcefully. Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, a conference official made a cardinal in 2024, called Duterte's claim "unbelievably ludicrous". Many cardinals already know Tagle personally, and many may see an attraction in having a pope from Asia, viewed by Church leaders as an important region of growth for the faith. Young people feel comfortable with him. When Tagle hosted Francis for a visit to the Philippines in 2014, the visit drew the largest crowds in the history of papal travel, including a Mass that attracted up to 7 million people. Doctrinal background Tagle, who speaks Italian, English, and Spanish as well as his native Tagalog, now has five years of experience with the Vatican's arcane bureaucracy, although some cardinals may think even that is not enough to run the global Church. One possible weakness in Tagle's candidacy is that he was involved in a management scandal three years ago. In 2022, Francis removed him from a second job as titular head of a Vatican-based confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social services organisations working in more than 200 countries. Francis fired the entire leadership of the group, called Caritas Internationalis, following allegations of bullying by top management. Tagle's role, akin to a chancellor of the organisation, was mostly symbolic and ceremonial. He was not directly involved in day-to-day running and was generally admired by staffers. Unlike Francis, Tagle enjoys a global reputation as a theologian, which could help him gain votes from moderate cardinals concerned by some of Francis' off the cuff utterances, which led to what some called confusion about Church teachings. In the 1990s, he served on the Vatican's International Theological Commission under German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was known as a strict adherent to traditional doctrine and would later become Pope Benedict XVI. Rev. Joseph Komonchak, Tagle's professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., said the cardinal was one of his best students in 45 years of teaching. "Not the least of Chito's virtues was the joy that he radiated on everyone who encountered him," said Komonchak. "He had a fine sense of humor, which endeared him to his fellow students." Rev. Robert Reyes, a seminary classmate who has known Tagle for more than 50 years, said Tagle has an ability to connect with people and a simple style of living. When he first became a bishop in 2001, he didn't own a car. "He preferred to take rides, to hitch a ride with someone driving to a place that perhaps both of them were going to," said Reyes. While 67 is sunset age in many organisations, it is considered young in the Vatican, because few cardinals want a very long pontificate.
Khaleej Times
24-05-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
Pope Leo XIV appoints Filipino Cardinal Tagle as bishop of Rome's diocese in Albano
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has been named titular bishop of Albano in Rome, the diocese previously assigned to Pope Leo XIV — previously cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. ''The Holy Father has assigned the Title of the Suburbicarian Church of Albano to His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation in the Section for First Evangelisation and the new particular Churches,'' the Vatican said in a press release on Saturday. The position was previously held by Pope Leo XIV when he was still a cardinal. Pope Leo XIV was elected on May 8 as the new pontiff of the Catholic church after the death of Pope Francis on April 21. Leo XIV was inaugurated as the 267th pope of the Catholic Church on May 18 in a Vatican ceremony where Tagle placed the Ring of the Fisherman on the pontiff's finger. The Ring of the Fisherman is a symbol of the pontiff's authority as the successor of St. Peter, a fisherman and the first head of the Church. The Diocese of Albano The Diocese of Albano, located just outside Rome, is one of seven suburbicarian sees historically associated with cardinal bishops, the highest-ranking order within the College of Cardinals. Before receiving the title of the Suburbicarian Church of Albano, Tagle had served as cardinal priest of the Church of San Felice da Cantalice in Centocelle since 2012. In 2022, Pope Francis elevated him to the order of cardinal bishops, assigning him to the same titular church.
GMA Network
24-05-2025
- General
- GMA Network
Cardinal Tagle named titular bishop of diocese formerly assigned to Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle are seen discussing during their private meeting at the Vatican on May 16, 2025. Vatican News Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has been named titular bishop of Albano in Rome, the diocese previously assigned to Pope Leo XIV or then-Cardinal Robert Prevost. ''The Holy Father has assigned the Title of the Suburbicarian Church of Albano to His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization in the Section for First Evangelization and the new particular Churches,'' the Vatican said in a press release on Saturday. Tagle and two other Filipino cardinals participated in the conclave earlier this month that elected Prevost as pope following the death of Pope Francis on April 21. Leo XIV was inaugurated as the 267th pope of the Catholic Church on May 18 in a Vatican ceremony where Tagle placed the Ring of the Fisherman on the pontiff's finger. The Ring of the Fisherman is a symbol of the pontiff's authority as the successor of St. Peter, a fisherman and the first head of the Church. — Jiselle Anne Casucian/VBL, GMA Integrated News
Sky News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Pope Leo's hug with brother shows how his life has changed forever
Why you can trust Sky News Under the Roman sun, a pope greeted his people. Through the tens of thousands gathered in St Peter's Square, Leo XIV made his way. Riding in an open-top Popemobile, the 267th pontiff looked relaxed as he smiled and waved at the faithful. Every now and then he would stop to bless babies in the crowd who were passed up to him by their delighted parents. People wearing the flags of countries from every corner of the world held up phones as he passed, desperately hoping to capture the historic moment. The joy and exhilaration were palpable. Then after the excitement, there was a moment of reflection as Leo XIV prayed at the tomb of the first ever pope, St Peter, before retracing the journey of pontiffs past and making his way to the outside altar. In front of princes, presidents, and the public, Leo received the symbols of the papacy: first the pallium was laid around his shoulders and then the fisherman's ring placed on his finger. The person who had that honour was the Filipino cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, a man who just over a week ago many thought would be standing in Leo's place. It was at this point the enormity of the moment seemed to hit home as the new pontiff stared at the ring on his finger and perhaps pondered the weight of responsibility he had been given as the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. 5:45 And what type of leader will he be? His inaugural mass gave some hints through the homily of a seemingly humble man. "I was chosen, without any merit of my own, and now, with fear and trembling, I come to you as a brother, who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy," he told the masses. Again, Leo presented himself as a pontiff pledging to sow peace and unity, and critical of economic systems that marginalise the poor. 5:42 The Pope then prepared the holy communion, while the crowd shook hands and offered each other the sign of peace. And that message of peace was one he would return to at the end of the mass. "We cannot forget our brothers and sisters who are suffering because of war. "In Gaza, the surviving children, families, and elderly are reduced to starvation. In Myanmar, new hostilities have cut short innocent young lives. "Finally, war-torn Ukraine awaits negotiations for a just and lasting peace," the Pope said. Message of peace impressed on VIPs No doubt peace was a point Leo also emphasised to waiting VIPs. Among those he greeted after the mass were US vice president JD Vance and the president of Israel. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was granted a special private meeting with the pontiff and later posted on X about it. "We thank the Vatican for its willingness to serve as a platform for direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia," he said. Amid all the symbolism and ceremony, it was perhaps the hug with his brother Louis that underlined just how much Leo's life has changed. A cardinal from Chicago is now one of the most powerful leaders in the world. As the crowd celebrated this historic day, the Pope appeared to be already contemplating the challenges ahead - the daunting task of trying to bring unity to an increasingly divided world.
