Cardinal Tagle on Pope Leo XIV: `Very human, humble, but discerning’
Screenshot of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle during the conclave. From INQUIRER.net’s live stream via AP/Youtube.
MANILA, Philippines — “Very human, very humble, but very discerning.”
This is how Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle described then Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, the newly elected pope, when asked about their working relationship as dicastery heads in the Roman Curia, or the central governing body of the Catholic Church.
Tagle fondly shared this memory during a post-conclave press conference from Rome on Friday evening (Philippine time). Tagle said that the both of them were often seen seated together in formal meetings as they were both designated as cardinal-bishops.
Tagle also mentioned that Prevost — who chose to serve under the name of Pope Leo XIV — was not always serious as the former recalled moments where they would joke with each other about getting coffee first thing in the morning.
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“He is a very level-headed person. He’s not the kind of person who is guided by just impulses and reactions,” Tagle, speaking in mixed Filipino and English, told reporters.
Tagle said that Prevost helped in discernment of the whole group, as the latter was always calm and composed.
`He listens’
“He listens and if needed, he would study something. He would not immediately decide, but he would study it first. But when he comes back, you would see that everything is clear,” Tagle added.
Tagle also pointed out that conversing with him is easy, given that they are both English speakers. The Filipino cardinal also shared his encounters with the new pope during the conclave.
Tagle shared that the then-Cardinal Prevost asked him a lot of questions since it was the former’s second time participating in the Papal conclave. During the casting of secrecy vows before the conclave started, Prevost was seen right behind Tagle.
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“He has a humorous side, he has a sense of humor that he has a loud voice when he laughs,” Tagle noted.
Tagle, along with other Filipino Cardinals Pablo Virgilio David and Jose Advincula participated in the Papal conclave in the Vatican.
A white smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel past midnight of May 9 (Philippine time), indicating that the cardinal electors have chosen the late Pope Francis’ successor.
An hour after, Prevost appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica as Pope Leo XIV, waving his hands, smiling, and bowing to the thousands of people.
