Cardinal Tagle gets 3rd appointment

The Vatican, in its online news web site, reported that Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has been appointed by Pope Francis as a new member of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, the third appointment bestowed by the Pope on Tagle.

The Pontifical Council is the Vatican’s central office for the promotion of inter-religious dialogue in accordance with the spirit of the Second Vatican Council.

Pope Francis earlier appointed Tagle as the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in December 2019, and as a cardinal bishop last May.

Retired Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes said the Pope made a “good choice” in appointing Tagle to this new post because of Tagle’s experience in interacting with other religions.  

He said Tagle’s current assignment as the head of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, which manages the Bishops in “mission territories,” will also enable him to further promote inter-religious dialogue.

Retired Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma also agreed that Tagle’s new assignment is a sign that the Church is now more amenable to interact with other religions.

“Since Cardinal Tagle comes from Asia, the birthplace of the world religions, and the Philippines is practically the only majority Christian country in Asia, this sends a message to us for the New Evangelization,” said the former head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Interreligious Dialogue.