3 Filipino cardinals among conclave electors

Three Filipino cardinals will take part in the upcoming papal conclave to elect the successor to Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday at the age of 88.

This was confirmed by Fr. Antonio Labiao Jr., rector and parish priest of the Cathedral Shrine and Parish of the Good Shepherd, in a radio interview on Tuesday.

Labiao identified the three as Cardinals Luis Antonio Tagle, Jose Advincula and Pablo Virgilio David. They will be among the 135 cardinal-electors who will pick the next pope.

“Three Filipino cardinals will be active in the selection. They can be chosen, and they will also cast their vote for the new Holy Father,” Labiao said.

Tagle, currently serving as Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, is already in Rome, Labiao noted. He is among the cardinals said to have a big chance to be the next pope.

Advincula is the Archbishop of Manila, while David, who also serves as president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, is Bishop of Kalookan. All three were appointed to the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis.

The conclave, a centuries-old process held at the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, will be attended by cardinals under the age of 80 from around the world. They are tasked with choosing the next pope in a highly secretive and solemn process.

“There are about 135 active cardinals this time. Two-thirds of them must agree before a new pope can be proclaimed,” Labiao explained.

The selection begins with a Mass, followed by daily secret ballots — one in the morning and another in the afternoon — until a candidate receives the required two-thirds majority.

“Usually, the newly elected pope accepts the responsibility for the sake of the Church and for the sake of our faith,” Labiao said.

Meanwhile, Father Tito Caluag, executive director of Caritas Philippines, called on Filipinos to pray for a successful and spirit-led conclave.

“There are still many unfinished reforms in the Church that Pope Francis started,” said Caluag in a separate radio interview. “Hopefully, whoever his successor is, he will continue what he began.”

Caluag recalled Pope Francis’ desire to carry forward the reforms of Pope John XXIII, particularly those of the Second Vatican Council which aimed to modernize Church practices and teachings.

He said Pope Francis had initially considered taking the name “John XXIV” in honor of Pope John XXIII but ultimately chose “Francis” after Saint Francis of Assisi out of his concern for the poor.

“Saint Francis of Assisi is the saint of the poor. That’s the greatest challenge for the next pope and the Church as a whole,” Caluag said.

He also emphasized the importance of Pope Francis’ push for greater inclusion within the Church, particularly through the Synod on Synodality, which for the first time granted voting rights to women in the Synod General Assembly.

“That’s another important point we should pray the next pope will continue,” he said.