MANILA (PHILIPPINES)
Crux [Denver CO]
May 5, 2025
By Joseph San Mateo
As we approach the conclave to elect a new pope, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is defending the record of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, former archbishop of Manila, in fighting sexual abuse by clergymen in this Southeast Asian country.
The CBCP, in a statement on Saturday, said Tagle has pushed for a Church that listens and “acts decisively” to help sex abuse victims.
The bishops’ conference did not explain the context for the 560-word statement, but the Philippine Daily Inquirer said it was “apparently in response to recent foreign media reports which accused Tagle of not being vocal enough about such cases in the country.”
BishopAccountability.org, a watchdog group that monitors cases of clergy sexual abuse, questioned Tagle’s ability to stop abusive priests if he succeeds Pope Francis.
Tagle, 67, is considered a papabile in the conclave to elect the 267th leader of the Catholic Church. The conclave of 133 cardinal electors, including Tagle and two others from the Philippines, begins on Wednesday.
“If Cardinal Tagle cannot even get his brother bishops from his home country to publish guidelines, what on earth can we expect for him to achieve as pope of a global Church?” said BishopAccountability.org co-director Anne Barrett Doyle in a press conference on Friday.
The CBCP, however, said its Pastoral Guidelines on Sexual Abuses and Misconduct by the Clergy have been circulated as early as September 2003.
These guidelines “were developed to address allegations and actual cases of sexual abuse and misconduct by clergy in the Philippines,” according to Saturday’s CBCP statement titled, “Reaffirming Our Commitment to Safeguarding and Accountability.”
“They emphasized pastoral care for victims, the healing of communities, assessment of the accused, and appropriate sanctions for offenders,” said the CBCP in a statement signed by its secretary general, Monsignor Bernardo Pantin, a canon lawyer trained at the Angelicum in Rome.
The CBCP then cited the role of Tagle, who was the bishop of Imus, a populous diocese south of Metro Manila, from 2001 to 2011, and the archbishop of Manila from 2011 to 2019.
“In particular, Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, during his tenure as Bishop of Imus and later as Archbishop of Manila, actively participated in the development and implementation of these guidelines. He has consistently advocated for a humble and responsive Church that listens to the cries of the wounded and acts decisively to protect the vulnerable,” said the CBCP.
The bishops’ conference added that Tagle, since he moved to Rome as pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization (formerly prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples), is no longer involved in disciplining Filipino priests.
Tagle has been based in Rome since 2020.
“Since his appointment to a full-time position in the Roman Curia, Cardinal Tagle no longer holds direct authority over any diocese in the Philippines. Consequently, he is not involved in the governance or disciplinary matters of Philippine dioceses. The responsibility for addressing allegations of misconduct by clergy rests with the respective diocesan bishops or religious superiors,” said the CBCP.
The CBCP emphasized, in general, its commitment to curbing clergy sexual abuse, having established an Office for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons as directed by the Holy See. Each Filipino diocese is mandated to establish a similar office on its own, “ensuring that every Church institution becomes a safe space for all.”
“The CBCP remains steadfast in its commitment to transparency, accountability, and the protection of all members of the Church, especially the most vulnerable. We continue to seek guidance from the Holy See and collaborate with civil authorities to ensure that justice is served and that the Church becomes a beacon of hope and safety for all,” the conference said.
Tagle, a charismatic bishop known for his simplicity and love for the poor, is often called the “Asian Francis” and is considered one of the leading papal contenders in this year’s conclave.
He has been criticized, however, for his skills as an administrator, particularly when he was president of Caritas Internationalis from 2015 until 2022.
Issues hurled against Tagle include his failure to curb the mismanagement of Caritas under its former secretary general, Aloysius John.
He has also been questioned over the case of Father Luk Delft, a Salesian priest who was assigned as Caritas director in the Central African Republic even if he was convicted of child sexual abuse in 2012. Tagle was reportedly aware of the Salesian’s criminal conviction as early as 2017, before he was named Caritas director in the Central African Republic.
Online, the Filipino cardinal has received hate comments, too, from conservative Catholics over a viral video of Tagle singing John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
LifeSiteNews, a conservative Catholic website, said this could be “a betrayal of Catholic teaching,” as the John Lennon song is “the atheist anthem rejecting religion, heaven, and Christ’s Kingship.”
The conservative website said the song contradicts Catholic doctrine when its lyrics state, “No hell below us… no religion, too.”
Still, many Filipinos root for Tagle as the first Filipino and Southeast Asian pope — an aspiration for this country of 86 million Catholics, the biggest stronghold of the Church in Asia.
Social media posts, including TikTok videos, have surfaced to push for a Tagle papacy in the days after Francis’ death.
Father Jerome Secillano, a spokesperson for the CBCP, had already warned Filipinos not to campaign for Tagle, to no avail. Filipino Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, one of the cardinal electors and a college schoolmate of Tagle, also reminded Filipino Catholics, “there are no candidates in a conclave.”