5 Points on Archbishop Antonio Luis G. Tagle

On October 13, 2011 the Vatican announced the appointment of Bishop Chito G. Tagle, DD, STD as the new Archbishop of Manila. Let us take a closer look at the journey of this man that led to his appointment to this seat.

1. Archbishop Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, “Chito” as he is fondly called by his friends and superiors, was born in Manila on June 21, 1957 from parents Milagros Gokim Tagle and Manuel Topacio Tagle, Sr.
2. He has always been at the top of his class. He graduated Valedictorian in grade school and high school at St. Andrew's School in Parañaque City in 1969 and 1973 respectively. In college, he graduated Summa Cum Laude at the Ateneo de Manila University and San Jose Seminary in Quezon City in 1977, where he took up Bachelor of Arts, Major in Philosophy. His graduate studies include a Licentiate in Sacred Theology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., United States in 1987, the same university where he finished his Doctorate in Sacred Theology in 1991. He is a candidate for a degree of Master of Arts in Theology at the Loyola School of Theology and San Jose Seminary.
3. He was ordained deacon on July 18, 1981 at the San Jose Seminary, and a priest on February 27, 1982 at Our Lady of the Pillar Cathedral in Imus municipality. On October 22, 2001, he was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Imus in Cavite province. He was installed on December 12, 2001.
4. He is not only a brilliant scholar but a persuasive communicator. CNN Senior Vatican analyst John Allen Jr. considers Tagle as a “a very 21st century prelate “ and has the “…ability to explain complex theological ideas in layman’s terms, while not being afraid to raise questions about controversial Church issues. To name a few --

• He has written two books: ‘It is the Lord!’ Occasional Lectures at Loyola School of Theology. Manila: Loyola School of Theology, 2003, An Easter People: Our Christian Vocation to be Messengers of Hope. Quezon City: Jesuit Communications Foundation 2003.
• He has done a lot of work both as resource person and as participant since 1998 in the Synod of Bishops held in Rome every four years, and has collaborated in the drafting of papal exhortations following upon those synods (The Synod of Bishops is an assembly of bishops representing the Catholic episcopate, having the task of helping the Pope in the governing of the Universal Church by rendering their counsel.)
• Bishop Tagle is also the host of The Word Exposed, a Catholic TV program produced by Jesuit Communications Foundation (JesComm). He is also a co-host of the early morning Catholic program Kape't Pandesal(Coffee and Bread), also produced by JesComm, which is broadcasted on Studio 23.
• He also hosts a program on YouTube and he’s got his own Facebook page where he reaches to young and old alike using media as a form of his evangelization. It is also using this media where he expressed his strong positions against ‘Reproductive Health’ bill.
• Most Filipino Catholics who knew him, whether personally or via his shows, love him for his warmth and humor. As Bishop Teodoro Bacani puts it, “ He is a combination of a theologian’s mind, a musician’s soul, a pastor’s heart. In him the search for truth and love of God and people have been joined in a remarkable degree… And he is not only intelligent and holy but a friend to many, while having a particular love for the poor and priests.”
• Even Cardinal Ratzinger, who is now Pope Benedict XVI, showed a certain fondness for the youthful theologian whom he reportedly presented to Pope John Paul II with the humorous assurance that he had already received his first holy communion.
• He has been the most sought-after speaker in local, national and international conferences and has given innumerable retreats to bishops, priests, religious and lay people.
• In the Imus diocese, Tagle was famous for not owning a car and taking the bus to work every day, describing it as a way to combat the isolation that sometimes comes with high office.
• He was also known for inviting poor beggars outside the cathedral to come in and eat with him; one woman was quoted this week describing a time she went looking for her blind, out-of-work, alcoholic husband, suspecting she might track him down in a local bar, only to find that he was lunching with the bishop.
• He still frequently presides Mass in Imus Cathedral and makes it a point to say Mass at every chapel/church within the Diocese if his busy schedule permits. There is this “typical story” where he even say the Mass himself if there are no priests available or if the priests got sick last minute.

5. Even before his installation, Archbishop Chito Tagle has already been tagged as a ‘papal contender’ by Vatican analysts. And why not? With his eloquency and heart for the poor, he is sure to be a candidate to watch out for. Nevertheless, he is going to be an important instrument and model in spreading the faith not only to the Archdiocese of Manila, but to the whole country as well.