Tagle is wrong choice for ‘Red Pope’

“If, as some critics say, the Pope can be infallible on a few occasions, then the Pope’s choice for Tagle as the next “Red Pope” is one such manifestation.

The longevity of any organized religion depends on the constant increase in the number of its members. Without a continuing and renewable supply of faithful adherents, an organized religion cannot last long.

That is the main reason the Vatican, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church, resorts to overseas evangelical missions which convert as many people as possible to the Catholic faith.

The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples is the office created by the Vatican for its evangelical missions. Headed by a prefect, this office was once called the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, or Propaganda Fide in Latin. Since the prefect is a papal adviser, he holds office in Rome.

According to Church historians, the prefect of the congregation, who holds the rank of a cardinal, is often called “the Red Pope” because of the red headgear associated with cardinals, and the almost absolute authority the prefect exercises over overseas evangelical missions.

On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception last 8 December, the Vatican announced the designation of Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle as the new prefect of the congregation, effective January 2020.

News reports have it that the highly politicized Tagle is not so keen about his assignment to Vatican City because he is expected to relinquish his post as the archbishop of Manila. His posting in Rome means the end of his direct meddling in Philippine politics.

Political analysts believe Tagle’s designation as “Red Pope” will make him a powerful figure in Vatican politics. Senator Richard Gordon says Tagle’s new posting in Rome will increase the controversial cardinal’s chances of getting elected Pope someday.

While Tagle may be sad about losing his political pulpit in the Philippines, he consoles himself with the idea that his chances of becoming Pope someday, which is his burning ambition anyway, will get better in a matter of time.

This brings the discussion to the matter of whether Tagle is the right or wrong choice for the Vatican’s “Red Pope.”

Since the main responsibility of a prefect of the congregation is to continuously add to the list of the Catholic faithful all over the world, Tagle may be ill fit to assume that awesome duty.

The 62-year-old Tagle was Manila’s archbishop for eight years. Those eight years were shamelessly marked with his needless meddling in national politics, institutionalized intolerance for critics of the Church and the friars of his religious fiefdom, and unusual silence and inaction on sexual predators in the Church bureaucracy.

During his eight-year watch as Manila’s archbishop, Church leaders in Manila pursued a criminal case against Carlos Celdran, an Intramuros tour guide whose only sin was to invite public attention to friars who meddle in national politics.

Tagle himself professed on national television that the Church had already forgiven Celdran, but it turned out that the friars still pursued the criminal case against their critic.

Celdran passed away in Spain a couple of months ago, traumatized by the religious intolerance visited on him by the friars.

It was also during Tagle’s watch as Manila’s archbishop when a priest who sympathized with the political opposition publicly prayed for bad health to come upon President Rodrigo Roa Duterte; when a parish priest beat up a church employee for the latter’s failure to feed the priest’s pet dog on time; and when a priest based in Makati attempted to make a substantial profit from church weddings and similar services.

The overall consequence of all these and other anomalies in the Church in the Philippines has slowly but surely disillusioned many Catholics from remaining in the faith. They have either ceased to be practising Catholics or have joined other Christian sects which do not meddle in politics.

All that translates to less and less Catholics in the Philippines, thanks mainly to Tagle who, ironically, has been designated by Pope Francis as the new chief recruiter of Catholics worldwide.

If, as some critics say, the Pope can be infallible on a few occasions, then the Pope’s choice for Tagle as the next “Red Pope” is one such manifestation.