Cardinal Tagle tapped to assist Vatican administrator ahead of conclave

Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle attends a rosary prayer at Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome on April 24, 2025 following the death of Pope Francis on April 21.  —Photo from Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle was tasked to assist the prelate appointed by the late Pope Francis to oversee Vatican City’s administrative functions during the papal vacancy.

Cardinal Tagle and two other cardinals have been named to be part of the “Particular Congregation” — the rotating post tasked with assisting the Camerlengo (chamberlain) — during the pre-conclave meeting of all College of Cardinals members also known as the fifth General Congregation, on Monday.

Kevin Cardinal Farrell was appointed by the late pontiff to be the Holy See’s Camerlengo, which gives him the right to ask all the Vatican departments for budget reports, economic information and details on other ongoing affairs.

Farrell’s assistants

Tasked to assist Farrell was Cardinal Tagle, who is also the pro-prefect at the Dicastery for Evangelization, along with German Reinhard Cardinal Marx and French Dominique Cardinal Mamberti, according to CBCP News.

Marx, who is the archbishop of Munich and Freising, will serve as coordinator of the Council for the Economy.

The crucial task of announcing Pope Francis’ successor lies with Mamberti, who is also the prefect or chief of the Apostolic Signatura, the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church.

Mamberti will reveal the result of the conclave from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. The conclave, which will elect the next pontiff will begin on May 7.

Cardinals Tagle and Mamberti are frequently mentioned in media reports as “papabile”, or leading contenders for the papacy.

Qualities of next pontiff tackled

Aside from the election of Camerlengo’s assistants and the starting date of the conclave, the General Congregation attended by more than 180 cardinals also discussed matters about the new pontiff, according to the Vatican press office.

Tackled during the General Congregation were “issues of particular relevance for the future of the Church: the relationship with the contemporary world and some of the challenges that are highlighted, evangelization, the relationship with other faiths, [and] the issue of abuse.”

“And there was talk of the qualities that the new Pontiff must possess to respond effectively to these challenges,” the press office added.