Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle ( , ; born June 21, 1957), also commonly referred to by his nickname Chito, is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church, and has been the pro-prefect for the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches of the Dicastery for Evangelization (formerly Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples) since December 8, 2019.
Prior to his various role within the departments and dicasteries in the Roman Curia, Tagle served as the 32nd archbishop of Manila from 2011 to 2020, and earlier on as bishop of Imus from 2001 to 2011. Following the election of Pope Leo XIV, Tagle was bestowed to serve as the current cardinal bishop of Albano and also serves as the president of the Catholic Biblical Federation, grand chancellor of the Pontifical Urbaniana University and president of the Interdicasterial Commission for Consecrated Religious.
Dubbed the "Asian Francis", Tagle is often seen as a representative of the Catholic Church's progressive wing. He was called a papabile for the papal conclaves of 2013 and 2025.
Early life and studies Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle was born on June 21, 1957, in Manila, the eldest child of Manuel Tagle Sr. and his Chinese Filipino wife, Milagros Gokim, who previously worked for Equitable Bank. Tagle's paternal grandfather, Florencio, came from Imus, Cavite; the Tagle family were from the Spanish, lowland Christian aristocracy known as the Principalía, which were the elite prior to the 1896 Philippine Revolution. Florencio was injured by a bomb explosion during the Second World War; Tagle's grandmother made a living by running a local diner. The Tagle surname is originally Spanish, from the northern region of Cantabria) and some members spread to the Philippines via Mexico.
After completing elementary and high school at Saint Andrew's School in Parañaque in 1973, Tagle was influenced by priest friends to enter the Jesuit San José Seminary, which sent him to the Ateneo de Manila University, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in pre-divinity from the Ateneo in 1977 and then a master of arts in theology at the same university's Loyola School of Theology. 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". Tagle also attended doctrinal courses at the Institute of Pope Paul VI University. 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. Tagle has received honorary degrees from Catholic Theological Union and La Salle University. Tagle is a native Tagalog speaker and is fluent in English and Italian. He is also proficient in reading Spanish, French, Korean, Chinese, and Latin.
Early 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, the Tahanan ng Mabuting Pastol. 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.Pope appoints Mgr. Tagle Archbishop of Manila . Asianews.it. Retrieved on February 18, 2012.
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.
Bishop of Imus
On October 22, 2001, Pope John Paul II appointed Tagle bishop of Imus, where he had been serving as parish priest of the cathedral parish since 1998. He received his episcopal consecration on December 12. 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. 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. He said:"XI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops." Holy See Press Office, October 2–23, 2005. Accessed December 14, 2015
To the concept that priestly vocation is 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." 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.
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. He contrasted Christian worship with false forms of adoration:
Archbishop of Manila
Pope Benedict XVI appointed Tagle the 32nd archbishop of Manila on October 13, 2011, to succeed Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales.Vatican Insider: "Pope appoints communicator and scholar as new Archbishop of Manila" October 13, 2011 According to Catalino Arévalo, 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 Rosales, but some objections were submitted to the Congregation for Bishops, which caused some delay in processing his appointment. Prior to his installation, Tagle made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in October 2011. Tagle 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 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. 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:
Tagle 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. That same day, Tagle spoke at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, Ireland. He discussed how the sexual abuse crisis requires the Catholic 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." He also mentioned the various issues which distinguish the experience of the church in Ireland and similar cases in Asia.
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. 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. 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.
Benedict XVI named Tagle as one of the synod fathers for the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelisation on September 18, 2012. In his intervention at that synod, he outlined how he believed the church should approach the process of evangelization. He said:
In an interview with Vatican Radio, he explained how his view reflected the experience of Asian and Philippine culture:
Tagle served as archbishop of Manila until he assumed the position as prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on February 9, 2020. While awaiting for the date of assuming his new position, he served as the apostolic administrator of the metropolitan see on his last two months as archbishop of Manila from December 8, 2019, to February 9, 2020. Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo temporarily headed the Archdiocese as apostolic administrator from February 9, 2020. On March 25, 2021, Pope Francis named Capiz Archbishop Cardinal Jose Advincula to succeed Tagle as Archbishop of Manila. Advincula was then installed as Tagle's successor on June 24, 2021.
Cardinal Pope Benedict XVI announced he was elevating Archbishop Tagle to the College of Cardinals on October 24, 2012. Tagle himself had been notified the night before. At that consistory, he was assigned the titular church of San Felice da Cantalice a Centocelle. Tagle was the seventh Filipino to be made a cardinal of the Catholic Church.State of the Nation: TV News show with GMA Network senior correspondent: Jessica Soho – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEthidBfn88 When he became a cardinal he was the second youngest one. On December 1, 2012, upon his return to the Philippines, he presided at a thanksgiving Mass at the San Fernando de Dilao Church in Paco, Manila, which President Benigno Aquino III, Vice-president Jejomar Binay, and Mayor Alfredo Lim of Manila attended.
On January 31, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Tagle to serve as a member of the Presidential Committee of the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants. Tagle was mentioned by some news organizations as a possible candidate for election as pope during the papal conclave that elected Pope Francis in 2013. Tagle led the National Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the San Fernando de Dilao Church on June 8, 2013.
In response to the call of the Synod of New evangelization in 2012, Tagle founded the Philippine Conference on New Evangelization in 2013, and has been held annually ever since.