section_path: Cardinal/Roman Curia
section_name: Roman Curia
paragraph_text: Roman Curia
  
  On November 30, 2013, Tagle was named member of the Congregation for Catholic Education. He was then named member of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life on March 29, 2014. Pope Francis named Tagle Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on December 8, 2019. Tagle is the second Asian to head that Congregation, following Cardinal Ivan Dias, who was prefect from 2006 to 2011. He is the second Filipino cardinal to lead a congregation of the Roman Curia after Jose Tomas Sanchez, who headed the Congregation for the Clergy from 1991 to 1996. In March 2020, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said the Pope had removed Tagle from his post in Manila for channeling church funds to the President's political opponents. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and many individual Philippine prelates denounced Duterte's charge.
  
  Pope Francis promoted him to highest rank of cardinal, Cardinal-Bishop, on May 1, 2020; he is the first Filipino to be included in that rank of the College of Cardinals. In the same way as Cardinals Parolin, Sandri, Ouellet and Filoni, he was not appointed to a suburbicarian see,a break with tradition and Canon Law Section 350. On June 19, 2020, the Pope named him member of the Pontifical Council for the Legislative Texts. On July 8, 2020, the Pope named him member of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue. On September 10, 2020, Tagle tested positive for COVID-19 upon his arrival in Manila. He was the first head of a Vatican dicastery, as well as the fifth Filipino bishop, to test positive for COVID-19. He had tested negative for the virus in Rome on September 7. He was asymptomatic and was in isolation. Tagle remained asymptomatic and ended his quarantine on September 23. On September 21, 2020, he was named member of the Cardinalial Commission of the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR).
  
  On February 22, 2021, Tagle was appointed by Pope Francis as a new member of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See. On June 9, 2021, the pope named him member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. On June 1, 2022, the pope named him member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Tagle was appointed as the Pro-prefect for the Section of Evangelization of the Dicastery for Evangelization. Due to the enforcement of the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium on June 5, 2022, many changes have been made to the Roman Curia. The new Dicastery of Evangelization was formed as a merger of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. According to the new apostolic constitution, this new dicastery is directly headed by the Supreme Pontiff as its Prefect, while being assisted with two pro-prefects, one of which is Tagle.
  
  Tagle was inducted to the Legion of Honour at Villa Bonaparte on February 15, 2024, by French Ambassador to the Holy See Florence Mangin, who gave him the insignia for the rank of "Officer". Tagle received the award in the presence of Philippine Ambassador to the Holy See Myla Grace Ragenia C. Macahilig, Gerard Timoner III, Nathaniel Imperial and Fr. Gregory Ramon Gaston. Pope Francis appointed Tagle as his special envoy to the 10th National Eucharistic Congress, held from July 17–24, 2024. He celebrated the closing Mass in Lucas Oil Stadium with approximately 50,000 people in attendance.
  
  Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, Tagle, at age 67, was one of the three cardinal electors from the Philippines, alongside Cardinals Jose Advincula and Pablo Virgilio David. He was also third in seniority among the cardinal electors in the 2025 papal conclave to choose the next pope. As in the 2013 conclave, Tagle was considered as a papabile to succeed Pope Francis, as well as the progressive frontrunner. As part of a campaign by ultraconservative politicians and Catholics to elect a conservative pope, a video of Tagle singing along to an instrumental rendition of John Lennon 's " Imagine ", a song notable for its opening verses being critical of religion, was resurfaced by LifeSiteNews. The rendition has since been revealed to be an abridged version where he skipped the opening verses and begun at the chorus, as well as replacing the line "A brotherhood of man" with "A brotherhood for all" in the final verse. In accordance with paragraph 14 of Universi Dominici gregis and Article 18 of Praedicate evangelium, his term as Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization ceased at the moment of the pope's death; his term was renewed provisionally by Pope Leo XIV following his election. Tagle told Il Messaggero that, as he perceived the future Pope Leo XIV to be tense in the last round of voting, he offered him a candy. As he had said in the past, Tagle described the newly-elected pope as "very human, very humble, but very insightful". Tagle, representing the cardinal-bishops, placed the Ring of the Fisherman on Pope Leo XIV 's hand during his inauguration Mass on May 18, 2025.
  
  On May 24, Pope Leo XIV assigned Tagle the title of the suburbicarian diocese of Albano, a title Leo held for several months before becoming pope.
  
  On November 30, 2013, Tagle was named member of the Congregation for Catholic Education. He was then named member of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life on March 29, 2014. Pope Francis named Tagle Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on December 8, 2019. Tagle is the second Asian to head that Congregation, following Cardinal Ivan Dias, who was prefect from 2006 to 2011. He is the second Filipino cardinal to lead a congregation of the Roman Curia after Jose Tomas Sanchez, who headed the Congregation for the Clergy from 1991 to 1996. In March 2020, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said the Pope had removed Tagle from his post in Manila for channeling church funds to the President's political opponents. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and many individual Philippine prelates denounced Duterte's charge.
  
  Pope Francis promoted him to highest rank of cardinal, Cardinal-Bishop, on May 1, 2020; he is the first Filipino to be included in that rank of the College of Cardinals. In the same way as Cardinals Parolin, Sandri, Ouellet and Filoni, he was not appointed to a suburbicarian see,a break with tradition and Canon Law Section 350. On June 19, 2020, the Pope named him member of the Pontifical Council for the Legislative Texts. On July 8, 2020, the Pope named him member of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue. On September 10, 2020, Tagle tested positive for COVID-19 upon his arrival in Manila. He was the first head of a Vatican dicastery, as well as the fifth Filipino bishop, to test positive for COVID-19. He had tested negative for the virus in Rome on September 7. He was asymptomatic and was in isolation. Tagle remained asymptomatic and ended his quarantine on September 23. On September 21, 2020, he was named member of the Cardinalial Commission of the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR).
  
  On February 22, 2021, Tagle was appointed by Pope Francis as a new member of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See. On June 9, 2021, the pope named him member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. On June 1, 2022, the pope named him member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Tagle was appointed as the Pro-prefect for the Section of Evangelization of the Dicastery for Evangelization. Due to the enforcement of the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium on June 5, 2022, many changes have been made to the Roman Curia. The new Dicastery of Evangelization was formed as a merger of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. According to the new apostolic constitution, this new dicastery is directly headed by the Supreme Pontiff as its Prefect, while being assisted with two pro-prefects, one of which is Tagle.
  
  Tagle was inducted to the Legion of Honour at Villa Bonaparte on February 15, 2024, by French Ambassador to the Holy See Florence Mangin, who gave him the insignia for the rank of "Officer". Tagle received the award in the presence of Philippine Ambassador to the Holy See Myla Grace Ragenia C. Macahilig, Gerard Timoner III, Nathaniel Imperial and Fr. Gregory Ramon Gaston. Pope Francis appointed Tagle as his special envoy to the 10th National Eucharistic Congress, held from July 17–24, 2024. He celebrated the closing Mass in Lucas Oil Stadium with approximately 50,000 people in attendance.
  
  Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, Tagle, at age 67, was one of the three cardinal electors from the Philippines, alongside Cardinals Jose Advincula and Pablo Virgilio David. He was also third in seniority among the cardinal electors in the 2025 papal conclave to choose the next pope. As in the 2013 conclave, Tagle was considered as a papabile to succeed Pope Francis, as well as the progressive frontrunner. As part of a campaign by ultraconservative politicians and Catholics to elect a conservative pope, a video of Tagle singing along to an instrumental rendition of John Lennon 's " Imagine ", a song notable for its opening verses being critical of religion, was resurfaced by LifeSiteNews. The rendition has since been revealed to be an abridged version where he skipped the opening verses and begun at the chorus, as well as replacing the line "A brotherhood of man" with "A brotherhood for all" in the final verse. In accordance with paragraph 14 of Universi Dominici gregis and Article 18 of Praedicate evangelium, his term as Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization ceased at the moment of the pope's death; his term was renewed provisionally by Pope Leo XIV following his election. Tagle told Il Messaggero that, as he perceived the future Pope Leo XIV to be tense in the last round of voting, he offered him a candy. As he had said in the past, Tagle described the newly-elected pope as "very human, very humble, but very insightful". Tagle, representing the cardinal-bishops, placed the Ring of the Fisherman on Pope Leo XIV 's hand during his inauguration Mass on May 18, 2025.
  
  On May 24, Pope Leo XIV assigned Tagle the title of the suburbicarian diocese of Albano, a title Leo held for several months before becoming pope.