En attendant GodotTagle to replace Müller as CDF Prefect?

 

Tagle singing at a concert, 2012. 

To the recent reports from other sources that Cardinal Müller has already offered his resignation from CDF, Rorate can now add, from its own very well-placed sources, that there is a plan at the highest levels to replace Müller as Prefect of CDF with no less than the Asian "Pope Francis", the man seen by many as Francis' dauphin, Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle. 

Müller, appointed Prefect in July 2012, has been effectively marginalized in the past years over the Family Synods and most importantly over Amoris Laetitia. Questions about his future in the Roman Curia have been persistent through the years. It remains to be seen whether he will eventually be sent back to Germany to take the still-vacant see of Mainz (traditionally a red-hat see), or be tossed to a ceremonial position, or whether, like Stanisław Cardinal Ryłko last year, he will simply be retired long before turning 75.

Tagle's own theological oeuvre is very thin and his academic reputation rests mainly on the essays he wrote as part of the Bologna School's History of Vatican II. It is his slick promotion by the mainstream Catholic media, his reliably progressivist views (couched in "moderate" language) coupled with his stint at the International Theological Commission and the patronage he received from Joseph Ratzinger, first as CDF Prefect then as Pope, that have combined to give him an aura of learning far beyond what is supported by his real output. His election as President of both the Catholic Biblical Federation (in 2014) and Caritas International (in 2015) and his designation as one of three Delegate Presidents of the Extraordinary Synod of 2014 further guaranteed his prominence in the universal Church. 

Should this latest plan come to pass, Cardinal Tagle, who will turn 60 in June, will have an enviable "CV" for a conclave frontrunner: a long stint (more than 15 years and counting) as diocesan bishop then archbishop, followed by a stint as head of a Curial dicastery.

In the two previous Februaries Don Pio Pace wrote for Rorate long articles on the growing Tagle candidacy for the next conclave, articles worth reading now more than ever: 

"THE SUCCESSOR" - Rome in Pre-Conclave mood: What will come after the Bergoglio Papacy? (February 2015)

Exclusive Op-Ed: Pio Pace: "Conclave Preparations: Watch Out - Great Editorial Manoeuvres Signal Cardinal Tagle" (Feb. 2016)

Exclusive Op-Ed: Pio Pace: "Conclave Preparations: Watch Out - Great Editorial Manoeuvres Signal Cardinal Tagle"

We are very honored to post this new very important warning piece, by a very wise, knowledgeable, and highly influential cleric, writing under the pen name of don Pio Pace.

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Watch Out - Great Editorial Manoeuvres Signal Cardinal Tagle

by Father Pio Pace

At the time of the 2013 conclave, the Ratzingerians did not see coming the very efficacious shadow campaign led by the Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

Tagle is the new President of Caritas International:And the "pre-Conclave atmosphere" heats up...

As already predicted by some Catholic and secular news agencies in the preceding weeks, Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, was elected yesterday as the new President of Caritas International. He succeeds Oscar Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiaga, who is stepping down after serving two terms. Tagle himself was not in Rome yesterday; John Allen notes that he was in Chicago receiving an honorary doctorate from the Catholic Theological Union, one of the Americas' most liberal theological institutes.

Some had raised the possibility that Cardinal Tagle would run unopposed, with the only other candidate standing down. However this did not happen: the other candidate (Maronite Archbishop Joseph Soueif) remained in the race. Catholic News Agency further notes that there was  a very real difference in emphasis between the programs offered by either prelate:

"Openness" to the Kasper Doctrine - from one of the Presidents of the Extraordinary Synod on the Family

One of the strongest expressions of "openness" from another Cardinal to the "Kasper Doctrine" for formally allowing "remarried" divorcees to receive communion was publicized over the weekend in an article by John Allen on Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, Archbishop of Manila since 2011. Tagle, presently the fourth youngest Cardinal and definitely one of the rising stars of the Church, regarded as the Cardinal of the "School of Bologna", will be one of the three Presidents of the Extraordinary Synod on the Family later this year.

Allen's article is itself titled "Meet the Philippine Pope Francis":

Tagle’s moderate streak is also clear on internal church questions. 

In his Globe interview, he said that he’s open to considering the arguments for allowing Catholics who divorce and remarry without an annulment, a declaration from a church court that the first marriage was invalid, to receive communion and the other sacraments. 

“We have a principle we have to believe in,” he said, referring to the idea that marriage is for life. “But the openness comes on pastoral judgments you have to make in concrete situations, because no two cases are alike.” 

One can debate the merits of those positions, but there’s no question Tagle and leaders who think like him appear strengthened in their convictions one year into the new regime. 

If you’re looking for a “Francis effect,” in other words, that’s one way to gauge it.

The Philippines happens to be the last Catholic country, aside from the Vatican itself, where divorce is still illegal (except for Muslims). A country where, according to the Univision poll last month, some 46% of Filipino Catholics still support Church teaching against divorce. Should the Church herself bless measures that will, at least de facto, stop making divorce and civil "remarriage" a bar to the sacraments, it is hard to see how the ban on divorce in this country could last much longer. 

Photo source - Cardinal Tagle giving a talk earlier this year.

(UPDATED) The Bishop as the Chief Liturgical Dancer of his Diocese

UPDATE: A reader forwarded to us an article from the Philippine bishops' conference's own news agency reporting on the installation after it happened. The article speaks of the bishop and some priests dancing for a whole minute to the loud cheers and sustained applause of the congregation:

At least 42 cardinals, archbishops and bishops from all over the Philippines and several local and provincial government leaders attended the occasion.  

The Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Guiseppe Pinto and Cardinals Luis Antonio Tagle, Gaudencio Rosales and Ricardo Vidal were Evangelista’s concelebrants.  

During the offertory, priests and laypeople performed the “Caracol,” a traditional dance of the Cavite natives as they offer gifts to the bishop bringing a lively atmosphere inside the church. 

The people broke into loud cheers and sustained applause when the bishop joined the priests in dancing after the offertory that lasted for a minute.

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The following is part of a report that was forwarded to Rorate by a Filipino reader. Edited for this posting.

This report is absolutely timely with our publication of Fr. Cipolla's "The Devirilization of the Liturgy in the Novus Ordo Mass".

The news agency of the Filipino bishops' conference reported this on June 3:

MANILA, June 3, 2013—Newly-appointed Bishop of Imus Most Rev. Rey Evangelista is set to be installed in solemn ceremonies at 9 a.m. on June 5 at the Our Lady of the Pillar Cathedral by Papal nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto. 

Evangelista’s installation will be graced by the presence of three Filipino cardinals: Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, Archbishop-emeritus of Manila; Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, Archbishop-emeritus of Cebu; and Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, Archbishop of Manila. 

“Aside from the three cardinals, more than 50 bishops from all over the country also confirmed their attendance in this momentous event,” Fr. Allan Valero, the parish priest of the Cathedral-parish said. 

Arrival honors and welcome ceremony will be held in front of the Cathedral to formally welcome the new bishop. 

One of the highlights in the installation will be the traditional dance of Caviteños, known as ‘Caracol’, during the offertory. 

Valero said the traditional dance will be performed by the lay faithful who will offer the gifts to the bishop. 

“Those faithful are coming from communities that we call ‘mananayaw’ or from the old towns in Cavite. But I’m not sure if Bishop Rey will dance,” Valero said. 

According to him, when then Imus Bishop Tagle was ordained and installed as bishop of Imus, he joined the dancing. 

But Valero believes Bishop Evangelista will try to dance ‘Caracol’.

The 'Caracol' is a dance sung to native tunes (not always religious) that dates back to the Spanish era, but it is traditionally danced in some Filipino towns during outdoor Marian processions but never inside a Church or during Mass. It is unfortunate as the pictures of the installation Mass show that the bishop actually danced during the Offertory.

Syncretism gets elevated ...

Among the six new cardinals nominated yesterday, Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila has earned more than his share of fame (or notoriety) since his appointment to the Archdiocese of Manila a little more than a year ago. 

Tagle is one of the few prelates who is uniformly hailed by both the liberal and conservative wings of the international Catholic media for his ideas, his charisma and his speaking prowess, most of all during the current Synod and in this year's Eucharistic Congress in Ireland. 

This disciple of the Bologna School, who declared during his installation homily that Catholics and non-Catholics have but one mission and "must not compete against each other to get the better portion of the catch," has since then gone to ever-greater heights of popularity as one of the stars of the "new evangelization," if not as papabile. 

Speaking of the new evangelization, what does Archbishop Tagle think should be the way forward for the Church? 

First we present his little speech yesterday on Vatican Radio speech, with our highlights:

The Church of Asia is often a minority Church, like John the Baptist crying in the wilderness…..even in the Philippines, if the Church is a majority, I realise that the sufferings of people and the difficult questions they ask are an invitation to be first in solidarity with them, not to pretend we have all the solutions….they can resonate and see the concrete face of God in a Church that can be silent with them, as confused as they are….it becomes a home for them…..

I believe the Church should contribute in the public square but we in Asia are very particular about the mode…..so you may be saying the right things but people will not listen if the manner by which you communicate reminds them of a triumphalistic, know-it-all institution…..I know that in some parts of Asia the relative silence, calmness of the Church is interpreted as timidity, but I say no – it makes the Church more credible….”

This, in turn, echoes the speech that he gave during the third general congregation of the Synod of Bishops, on October 9, 2012. The following is the official summary (see HERE) provided on the Vatican website: 

A young girl asked: “Are we the youth lost or has the Church lost us?”. Her question expresses a longing for a Church where she can be found by Jesus and where she can find Him. But for the Church to be the “space” of a faith-encounter with the Lord, she must learn anew from Jesus in whom we meet God.  

The Church must learn humility from Jesus. God's power and might appears in the self-emptying of the Son, in the love that is crucified but truly saves because it is emptied of self for the sake of others.  

The Church is called to follow Jesus' respect for every human person. He defended the dignity of all people, in particular those neglected and despised by the world. Loving His enemies, He affirmed their dignity.  

The Church must discover the power of silence. Confronted with the sorrows, doubts and uncertainties of people she cannot pretend to give easy solutions. In Jesus, silence becomes the way of attentive listening, compassion and prayer. It is the way to truth.  

The seemingly indifferent and aimless societies of our time are earnestly looking for God. The Church's humility, respectfulness and silence might reveal more clearly the face of God in Jesus. The world takes delight in a simple witness to Jesus- meek and humble of heart.

A sign of things to come? The new Archbishop of Manila on the Church's mission

The Archbishop-elect of Manila, Luis Antonio Tagle, was installed today in his new position. The full text of his inaugural homily has not yet been posted on the official website of the Archdiocese of Manila, but it has already appeared on at least one blog from the Philippines. (The full text can be found here.)

Much of the attention on this youngish prelate has been focused on his ecclesiological views in the light of his affiliation with the "Bologna school". It is an affiliation that continues to color his theological vision if the following passage from his inaugural homily as Archbishop of Manila -- especially the second paragraph -- is any indication (emphases are Rorate's):

IF this is true, one cannot help but think...

...that a bit of research on the Internet might actually have averted this appointment.

From Sandro Magister's latest column: The school of Bologna gets its own Cardinal.

But let's get back to Archbishop Tagle, who, as soon as he was appointed to Manila, was immediately honored with the title of "new papal contender" by vaticanista John L. Allen of the progressive American weekly "National Catholic Reporter."

It was Allen himself who emphasized how Tagle, after being a student of the theologian Joseph Komonchak of the Catholic University of America, joined the team of scholars put to work by Alberto Melloni and his mentor, Giuseppe Alberigo – both disciples and successors of Fr. Giuseppe Dossetti – on their controversial history of the Council. In the fourth volume of this history, published in 1999 and dedicated to the turbulent conciliar period of the autumn of 1964, it is Tagle who signs the key chapter, the one dedicated to the "storm in November: the black week."