PH Ambassador to the Holy See Welcomes the First Filipino Prefect of the Congregation for the New Evangelization of Peoples

VATICAN 02 March 2020 — Philippine Ambassador to the Holy See Grace Relucio Princesa met Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle on 22 February 2020 at Palazzo di Propaganda Fide.

Ambassador Princesa, accompanied by Deputy Chief of Mission Charlie P. Manangan, informed the Cardinal that she hopes to provide support to the Filipino Religious communities in Italy, as they provide guidance to the Filipino migrants in the spiritual aspect of their Diaspora.

Pope Francis appointed on 08 December 2019 Manila Cardinal Archbishop Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle as the new Prefect of the Congregation for the New Evangelization of Peoples (the original name of the department for evangelization is Propaganda Fide).

Cardinal Tagle is the first Filipino Prefect of Propaganda Fide and the second Asian to hold that position, an Indian being first. With this appointment, the Head of the Roman Catholic Church showed a significant attention to the Philippines and to the entire Asian continent.

Cardinal Tagle is also well known as the “Asian Francis”, a Filipino prelate passionate about the agenda of the current pontificate – for migrants and refugees and implementing the Gospel of the Poor in his role as Presidents of Caritas Internationalis, the Church’s charitable arm, as well as the Catholic Biblical Federation. Like Pope Francis, the Cardinal is a Roman “outsider” having never studied or worked in the Eternal City until now.

As mentioned in the “The Strength of a Vocation”, a book-length interview  written by the Spanish Claretian priest, Father Fernando Prado, Pope Francis said, “It is clear that the origins of both men and women general superiors, who are from non-European and non-Western continents, is more and more becoming a reality. […] The Philippines is also a clear example of how this is coming to be.”  END

For more information, visit www.vaticanpe.dfa.gov.ph.