In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Gokim and the surname or paternal

family name is Tagle.

His Eminence

Luis Antonio Tagle

D.D., S.Th.D.

Cardinal, Archbishop of Manila

Cardinal Tagle at San Fernando de Dilao.jpg

Province Manila

See Manila

Appointed October 13, 2011

Installed December 12, 2011

Predecessor Gaudencio Rosales

Other posts Cardinal Priest of San Felice da Cantalice a Centocelle

President of Caritas International

President of the Catholic Biblical Federation

Orders

Ordination February 27, 1982

by Félix Paz Pérez

Consecration December 12, 2001

by Jaime Sin

Created cardinal November 24, 2012

by Pope Benedict XVI

Rank Cardinal-Priest

Personal details

Birth name Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle

Born June 21, 1957 (age 61)[1]

Manila, Philippines

Nationality Filipino

Denomination Roman Catholic

Residence Manila, Cavite

Previous post Bishop of Imus (2001–2011)

Alma mater Ateneo de Manila University

Catholic University of America

Motto "Dominus Est! (It is the Lord!)" – John 21:7

Signature Luis Antonio Tagle's signature

Coat of arms Luis Antonio Tagle's coat of arms

Luis Antonio "Chito" Gokim Tagle (Tagalog: [lʊˈwis ɐnˈtonɪo 'taɡlɛ]; born June 21, 1957)[1] is the 32nd
Archbishop of Manila. He has been Archbishop since December 12, 2011, and a cardinal since November
24, 2012. He also serves as President of Caritas International, a federation of Catholic relief,
development, and social service organizations, and of the Catholic Biblical Federation.

Tagle has become involved in many social issues in the Philippines with emphasis on helping the poor
while maintaining opposition against what he terms "practical atheism",[2] abortion,[3] and
contraception (equated with abortion in the Philippines).[4]

Dubbed as the "Asian Francis",[5] Tagle is often characterized as a representative of the Church's
progressive wing.[6][7][8][9][10] He has criticized the Catholic Church for using "harsh words" to
describe LGBT and divorced and remarried Catholics.[11] He is also a proponent of allowing divorced
and remarried Catholics to receive communion on a case-by-case basis.[12] He generally prefers to be
called by his nickname rather than by his clerical title.[13]

Aside from his native Filipino (Tagalog), he also speaks English and is fluent in Italian. He is also
proficient in reading Spanish, French and Latin.[14]

Contents

1 Early life and studies

2 Priesthood

3 Bishop of Imus

4 Archbishop of Manila

5 Cardinal
6 Coat of arms

7 Interpretation of Vatican II

8 Distinctions

8.1 Orders

8.2 Academic

8.3 Awards

9 Television

10 See also

11 Notes

12 References

13 External links

Early life and studies

Tagle was born on June 21, 1957, the eldest child of devout Catholic parents, Manuel Topacio Tagle, an
ethnic Tagalog and his Chinese Filipino wife, Milagros Gokim, who previously worked for Equitable PCI
Bank.

Tagle's paternal grandfather, Florencio, came from Imus, Cavite; the Tagle family were from the
Hispanic, lowland Christian aristocracy known as the Principalía, which were the elite prior to the 1896
Philippine Revolution.[15] Florencio was injured by a bomb explosion during the Second World War;
Tagle's grandmother made a living by running a local diner.

After attending elementary and high school at Saint Andrew's School in Parañaque, he was influenced by
priest friends to enter the Jesuit San José Seminary, which sent him for studies at the Jesuit Ateneo de
Manila University.

Tagle earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in pre-divinity from Ateneo in 1977 and then a Master of Arts in
theology at its Loyola School of Theology.[16] Tagle earned his Doctorate in Sacred Theology at the
Catholic University of America from 1987 to 1991. He wrote his dissertation under the direction of
Joseph A. Komonchak on "Episcopal Collegiality in the Teaching and Practice of Paul VI".[17] Tagle also
attended doctrinal courses at the Institute of Pope Paul VI University.[18] In Komonchak's estimation,
Tagle was "one of the best students I had in over 40 years of teaching" and "could have become the best
theologian in the Philippines, or even in all of Asia" had he not been appointed bishop.[19] Tagle has
received honorary degrees from Catholic Theological Union [20] and La Salle University.[21]
Priesthood

Tagle was ordained in the Diocese of Imus on February 27, 1982. After ordination, he held the following
positions: associate pastor of San Agustín Parish – Méndez-Núñez, Cavite (1982–1984), spiritual director
(1982–1983) and later rector (1983–1985) of the diocesan seminary of Imus. After studies in the United
States from 1985 to 1992, he returned to Imus and was Episcopal Vicar for Religious (1993–1995) and
parish priest and rector (1998–2001) of Nuestra Señora del Pilar Cathedral-Parish. He also taught
theology at San Carlos Seminary (1982-1985) and Divine Word Seminary in Tagaytay, Cavite.[22]

Pope John Paul II appointed Tagle to the International Theological Commission, where he served from
1997 to 2002 under its President, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. From 1995 to 2001 he was a member of the
editorial board of the "History of Vatican II" project.[18]

Bishop of Imus

In 2001, Tagle was appointed Bishop of Imus on October 22 and consecrated on December 12 after
previously serving as parish priest of the Cathedral-parish of Imus.[23] During his ten years in Imus, he
made a point of living simply, owned no car, and invited the destitute to join him for a meal.[13] At the
first gathering of bishops under Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, the General Assembly of the Synod of
Bishops, he spoke from the floor about the inadequacy of the number of priests in the Philippines.[24]
He said:[25]

To respond to the hunger for the Eucharist, priests say many masses, accept multiple intentions and
send lay ministers for the service of the Word with communion.... The faithful know the difference
between a bible service and Eucharist, a priest and a lay minister. Many communities wait for the gift of
the priesthood and the Eucharist with humility.

To the concept that priestly vocation are a gift from God he countered: "we should also ask whether the
Church is a good steward of the gift." He told a news conference that "The first Sunday after my
ordination as a priest, I said nine Masses, and that is regular in the Philippines."[26] Discussing priestly
celibacy, Cardinal Angelo Scola, the synod moderator, expressed reservations about modifications to the
Church's requirement of celibacy for the priesthood. In response, Tagle suggested that the Church
should consider such a change to combat the shortage of priests.[27][28][29]

At the 2008 International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec, Canada, he delivered a talk on the importance
of the Eucharist that, by one report, moved the audience to tears.[19] He contrasted Christian worship
with false forms of adoration:[30]
It is sad that those who worship idols sacrifice other people while preserving themselves and their
interests. How many factory workers are being denied the right wages for the god of profit? How many
women are being sacrificed to the god of domination? How many children are being sacrificed to the
god of lust? How many trees, rivers, hills are being sacrificed to the god of "progress"? How many poor
people are being sacrificed to the god of greed? How many defenseless people are being sacrificed to
the god of national security?

Archbishop of Manila

The Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, metropolitan seat of Archbishop Tagle and the
See of Manila, Philippines

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Tagle the 32nd Archbishop of Manila on October 13, 2011, to succeed
Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales.[29][31] According to Father Catalino Arévalo, SJ, the first Asian member of
the Vatican's International Theological Commission, Tagle's appointment was promoted by the Papal
Nuncio to the Philippines Edward Joseph Adams and by Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, but some
objections were submitted to the Congregation for Bishops, which caused some delay in processing his
appointment.[32] Prior to his installation, Tagle made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in October 2011.[33]
He was installed as Archbishop on December 12, 2011, the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the
tenth anniversary of his episcopal consecration. He received the pallium, the symbol of his authority as a
metropolitan archbishop, from Pope Benedict XVI on June 29, 2012, in Rome.

In February 2012, Tagle attended the Symposium for Healing and Renewal at the Pontifical Gregorian
University in Rome. Tagle discussed the way the sex-abuse crisis manifests itself in Asia, where it is more
common for priests to violate their vows of celibacy by taking mistresses than to engage in the sexual
abuse of minors.[34][35] Tagle maintained that the deference to authority typical of Asian culture
combined with the dominance of the Catholic Church in a country like the Philippines produced a
"culture of shame" that continued to inhibit the reporting of instances of abuse. He said that culture
needed to change though he anticipated great difficulties:[36]

The relative silence with which the victims and Asian Catholics face the scandal is partly due to the
culture of "shame" that holds dearly one’s humanity, honor, and dignity. For Asian cultures, a person’s
shame tarnishes one’s family, clan, and community. Silence could be a way of preserving what is left of
one’s honor.

He said the fact his country had a "touching culture" that created problems of interpretation and
mandatory reporting laws would face cultural hurdles as well.
On June 12, 2012, Tagle was appointed a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education for a five-
year renewable term.[37] That same day, Tagle spoke at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in
Dublin, Ireland. He discussed how the sexual abuse crisis requires the Church to reevaluate its
relationship with the media. He said: "As we challenge them to be fair and truthful in whatever they are
reporting, the Church should also be prepared to be scrutinised by media, provided the norms of
fairness and truthfulness are applied to all, especially the victims." He decried the tendency of Church
officials to resent negative media coverage even when accurate, while noting he had witnessed some
media coverage in Asia that is tainted by "an anti-Christian sentiment."[38] He also mentioned the
various issues which distinguish the experience of the Church in Ireland and similar cases in Asia.[39][40]

On August 4, 2012, Tagle delivered a speech at a prayer rally against the Reproductive Health Bill, which
included provisions for the funding and distribution of birth control information and devices;
contraception is customarily considered abortion in the Philippines.[4] He advocated for the recognition
of women's rights by recognizing their valued role as mothers and wives, deserving of genuine love and
respect as reflections of God and a gift to mankind.[41][42] Tagle also denounced sexual prostitution as
an affront to women's femininity. He took a more moderate stance on the legislation than other
Philippine bishops, refusing to threaten politicians who supported the legislation with excommunication
or to have posters criticizing its supporters as "Team Death" distributed in Manila's parishes.[13]

Benedict XVI named Tagle as one of the Synod Fathers for the Synod of Bishops on the New
Evangelisation on September 18, 2012.[43] In his intervention at that synod, he outlined how he
believed the Church should approach the process of evangelization. He said:[44]