Cardinal Tagle is new dean of College of Cardinals
MANILA – Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has been elected as the new dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals.
In a press bulletin released on Friday, October 9, the Vatican announced the Filipino cardinal’s election after Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation of the former dean, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.
At present, the 69-year-old Tagle is the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization.
“The Roman Pontiff has accepted the election, conducted by the cardinals of the Order of Bishop, of the dean of the College of Cardinals in the person of His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle,” the announcement said.
The dean’s main role is to preside over the College of Cardinals as “first among equals” (primus inter pares).
If a pope dies or resigns, he is responsible for informing the cardinals all over the world and summoning them for the conclave.
During “sede vacante,” the period when there is no reigning pope, the dean also leads the cardinals’ meetings, and also the conclave, provided that he is under the age of 80 and thus eligible to vote.
Tagle previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Imus from 2001 until 2011 when he was named as the 32nd archbishop of Manila.
Pope Benedict XVI made Tagle a cardinal in 2012 while Pope Francis summoned him to the Vatican in 2019 to serve as prefect of then Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, also known as the Propaganda Fide.
Tagle attended the conclave in 2013 that elected Pope Francis and the conclave in 2025 when Pope Leo XIV was elected.
With his election as dean of the College of Cardinals, Tagle also assumes the position of being the titular cardinal bishop of the Suburbicarian Church of Ostia while also serving as the titular for the Suburbicarian Church of Albano.
Canon Law states that the dean of the College of Cardinals holds the title of the Suburbicarian Church of Ostia.
Meanwhile, the 92-year-old Re will be known as dean emeritus and will retain his other titular for the Suburbicarian Church of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto.
Cardinal Re has served through the last four pontificates, holding various positions in the Roman Curia. He presided over the funeral rites of Pope Francis and led the meetings prior to the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.
He was chosen by Pope Francis to lead the College of Cardinals in 2020, succeeding Cardinal Angelo Sodano. In 2025, he was reappointed by Pope Francis.
Traditionally, all cardinals are assigned titular churches in Rome to reflect the early Church, when cardinals were members of the clergy in the Eternal City. It also symbolizes their special bond with the pope as his closest advisers and collaborators.
The suburbicarian churches are seven Catholic dioceses located in the immediate vicinity of Rome and are reserved for the cardinal bishops.
There are three ranks among cardinals in the Catholic Church: cardinal bishops, cardinal priests, and cardinal deacons.
The cardinal bishops, the highest ranks, are some of the most senior members of the College of Cardinals. Eastern Patriarchs, who are created cardinals, also belong to this rank.
Cardinal priests, on the other hand, mostly lead major dioceses across the world, while cardinal deacons are those who hold positions within the Roman Curia, the central administrative and governing institution of the Holy See.
According to reforms introduced by Pope Francis in 2019, the dean of the College of Cardinals is no longer a role for life.
The dean will serve a five-year term, renewable only once. The cardinal bishops hold an election, the result of which is subject to approval by the pope.