Disturbing Pope decree
Tagle was said to have been warned by the military in 2019 about the Caritas funds ending up in the hands of the New People’s Army.
When Pope Francis appointed two of his closest allies from the developing world, including Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, as members of the powerful body that acts as the Vatican's central bank on 22 February 2021, it was a proud moment for the Philippines.
Together with Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, Tagle, who is the former Manila Archbishop from 2011 to 2019, was named to the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy.
Touted as potential successors of Francis, their appointments came as the Pope continues to reform the scandal-ridden finances of the Vatican.
However, less than three years after, Pope Francis sacked the entire leadership of the Vatican-based Catholic charity network Caritas Internationalis, which Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle headed since 14 May 2015.
It was undoubtedly a shocking news on 22 November 2022 — a decisive decision made by the first Jesuit pontiff who broke tradition in May 2020 when he raised Tagle to the rank of "cardinal-bishop" which made him the highest-ranking bishop in history.
With the shake-up, the confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries is entrusted to a temporary custodian after outside experts highlighted management and procedural deficiencies, with Tagle assisting the newly appointed temporary administrator Pier Francesco Pinelli — a former renewable energy executive and Bain consultant trained by the Jesuits.
Amidst varied speculations about a stunning decree that affected more than a million CI staff members and volunteers, throwback news appeared on social media platforms.
It's a two-year-old news report about former President Rodrigo R. Duterte claiming that Tagle was removed by Pope Francis as Manila Archbishop for allegedly funneling church funds to the opposition.
Tagle joined the Vatican as Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in December 2019.
The misappropriation of funds, Duterte added, was the reason why Pope Francis has not appointed a new Manila Archbishop since Tagle's departure in February 2021.