The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Thursday appealed to Filipinos to refrain from campaigning for Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as Pope Francis' successor.
In a radio interview, CBCP Spokesperson Fr. Jerome Secillano explained that this could potentially trigger the misconception that the conclave is being influenced by outside forces once it becomes clear that Tagle will be the next pope.
"It's not prudent for the people to publicly push for Cardinal Tagle as the next pope since it may be misconstrued that the conclave can be influenced by outside forces," Secillano said.
Secillano stressed that the public should respect the independence of the electors, and it would be better to pray, especially for Filipinos, Tagle, and other cardinal-electors in the upcoming conclave.
The 67-year-old Tagle, who is the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, has been reported as one of the "papabili" or contenders to be the leader of the 1.4 billion Catholics in the world.
He has been dubbed by some as the "Asian Pope Francis."
After Pope Francis' burial on Saturday, April 26, cardinals below the age of 80 will gather for the conclave and vote for the next Catholic Church leader.
For the first time in Church history, three Filipino cardinals—Tagle, Jose F. Advincula, and Pablo Virgilio David—will join the conclave as cardinal-electors.
Pope Francis, 88, died of a stroke and heart failure on Easter Monday, April 21, at his residence at Casa Santa Marta at the Vatican. In accordance with his wishes, he is expected to be buried at the ancient Basilica of St. Mary Major, which lies outside the Vatican's walls.