Asia’s most prominent Roman Catholic leader knows how to reach the masses: He sings on stage, preaches on TV, brings churchgoers to laughter and tears with his homilies. And he’s on Facebook.
Several Catholic bishops have scheduled Masses in their respective dioceses for the intention of Pope Benedict XVI on the days leading to his resignation on Thursday.
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has cancelled a scheduled campus tour as he prepares to leave for Rome to witness Pope Benedict XVI’s formal resignation on Thursday, Church officials said Saturday.
Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle wants to bring the Catholic Church closer to people, a vision his fans say comes from a genuine passion for helping the poor and one that could make him Asia’s first pope.
One of the most highly respected Vatican analysts in Italy, who had been critical of Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, now believes the cardinal is the only viable Third World candidate for the papal throne.
I’ll say this for Pope Benedict XVI and his unexpected announcement that he would step down as head of the Roman Catholic Church at the end of this month, and relinquish the burdens of an office that he says he no longer can carry: it’s a frank and commendable assessment of his own failed tenure, with the clear implication that faith, prayer, and an insistence on staunchly conservative views are no longer, if ever they were, enough to lead 1.2 billion Catholics into an ever more complicated world.
A Catholic Church official downplayed on Tuesday, the prophecy of a 12th-century Irish saint who supposedly predicted that the next Pope would be the last and the end of the world would follow.
“We felt like children clinging to a father who bids them farewell,” Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said a day after Pope Benedict XVI, 85, announced that he was resigning on Feb. 28.
Malacañang considers it an honor for the Filipino people to see Cardinal Luis Tagle as among the reported “papabili” (potential popes) being considered to replace the frail Pope Benedict XVI.
Bishops and all Catholics in this nation are hoping that a Filipino will be the next pope, a senior church figure said Tuesday, as he promoted the credentials of the country’s only candidate
Vice President Jejomar Binay called on Filipinos on Tuesday to pray for Pope Benedict XVI’s better health in the wake of the pope’s announcement that he will abdicate his post by the end of the month.
The world’s top political and religious leaders expressed shock and regret Monday at Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation, but declared respect for his tenure and leadership of 1.1 billion Catholics.
