Pope Leo has approved the election of Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle as dean of the Catholic Church’s College of Cardinals, making him the first Asian cleric to lead the senior group responsible for choosing a new pope.
Tagle, 69, replaces Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, 92, who is retiring from the position. A former archbishop of Manila, Tagle has held senior Vatican responsibilities since 2020 and currently leads the Dicastery for Evangelization, the Church’s missionary department.
He was widely regarded as a potential candidate to become pope during the May 2025 conclave that elected Leo following the death of Pope Francis.
The dean is considered the first among equals among the Church’s highest ranking cardinals and oversees key procedures surrounding a papal election when a pope dies or resigns.
Elected by fellow cardinals and approved by the pope, the dean serves a five year term, renewable once. The position has traditionally been held by Europeans, although Beninese Cardinal Bernardin Gantin occupied the role from 1993 to 2002.
Tagle, a close ally of the late Pope Francis, is known for his missionary work and is affectionately called “Chito”.
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