(CNN Philippines) — Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the archbishop of Manila, is the newly-elected president of Caritas Internationalis, the first Asian to hold the post.
In an article posted on its website on Thursday (May 14), the confederation said Tagle was elected at its 20th General Assembly in Rome, which was attended by delegates from 130 member organizations from all over the world.
The assembly kicked off on Tuesday (May 13), with Pope Francis celebrating a special mass, and will end on Sunday (May 17).
On his election, Tagle addressed the assembly through a phone call from Chicago, where he went to receive an honorary doctorate from the Catholic Theological Union.
In his call, Tagle told the assembly delegates: “Buona sera a tutti! [Good evening, everyone]. Thank you for your trust. I’m limited in my capacities but with all of you, with the love that Jesus has poured into our hearts and in the name of all of the poor people in the world, I accept this election.”
He added: “Let us together strengthen the church of the poor so our witness can help guide us to a world of understanding justice, true freedom and peace.”
The charismatic Tagle, who turns 58 on June 21, replaced Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras, who has seved as presidents for two terms lasting for four years.
Also elected as treasurer was Alexander Bodmann of Austria.
‘Darling of Europe’
Tagle will become the global representative of Caritas Internationalis when he officially takes office at the end of the assembly on May 17.
This is according to an article posted on Friday at the website of the Catholilc Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Cardinal Tagle elected as Caritas president.
The article, written by Roy Lagarde, quoted Fr. Edu Gariguez, Caritas Philippines executive secretary, as saying that Tagle “has the qualities of a good leader for the organization.”
“I assured him of our support at Caritas Asia. And this is not for anything else but for our commitment and whole hearted service for the poor so we need him for this,” he said.
Gariguez, who attended the assembly in Rome, said Caritas Asia led the “clamor” for the cardinal to be nominated for the post when the process started early in 2015.
Last week, Gariguez said, he learned that Caritas agencies in Europe and other countries also gave their full support for Tagle.
“The charism and reputation of the cardinal is not only here in the Philippines and it’s because he remains much the same low-profile personality, he’s not grandstanding but is making a huge impact,” Gariguez said.]
Chacko Joseph, head of Caritas Internationalis’ Solidarity Team for Emergency Preparedness (STEP) program in the Philippines, said: “I strongly believe that Cardinal Tagle is the darling for Europe. He is well-versed with everybody there and he is a down to earth person.”
He added that, with Tagle’s close ties with Pope Francis, he would be “a huge advantage” for Caritas.
“They really understand each other,” Joseph said.
‘Asian Francis’
Radio Vatican, among others, also announced Tagle’s election in an article written in French — “Le cardinal Tagle, nouveau président de Caritas Internationalis.”
The article, which carried no byline, described him as “l’un des figures montantes de l’épiscopat asiatique et mondial [one of the rising figures of the episcopacy in Asia and the world].”
The Crux website also announced Tagle’s election with an article with the headline: “‘Asian Francis’ elected to lead pope’s ‘Solidarity Army.’ “
