With Pope Leo XIV temporarily sidelined for surgery at Gemelli Hospital, the liturgical and public duties of the Holy See fall to Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. The 69-year-old prelate - a key figure in global Catholicism and a leading contender during the last Papal Conclave - makes his official debut as Dean of the College of Cardinals by presiding over a major Vatican Mass marking the 10th anniversary of the landmark apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia.
Tagle’s appointment as Dean, formally approved by Pope Leo on October 8 following the resignation of Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, reflects the 2019 structural reforms that capped the decanship at a five-year renewable term rather than a lifetime appointment. Tagle, currently Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, shares a close personal bond with Leo XIV; both men were ordained into the priesthood in 1982.
Renowned for his warmth, pastoral empathy, and savvy use of digital media, Tagle embodies the rising influence of Asian Catholicism on the global stage. As he leads prayers for the Pontiff’s recovery this week, all eyes in Rome will be on Tagle as he temporarily steers the Vatican’s public presence through this moment of health crisis.