Humble 'papal contender' Tagle rides a cheap bike

Known for his simplicity and humility, newly-appointed Archbishop of Manila, Bishop Antonio Luis Tagle, has been tagged as someone who could be the next pope. He is known to go around the communities he serves on a "cheap bike." On Monday, a report of CathNews quoted CNN Senior Vatican analyst John Allen Jr. as saying the 54-year-old Tagle was not only "a rising star in the Asian Church" but also a "papal contender." In his blog on the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) on October 21, Allen said "a striking number of people who know Tagle believe that this is a guy who, one day, could be pope." GMA News Online tried to reach Tagle, currently Bishop of Imus, for comment. However, a staffer of the diocese said Tagle is currently out of the country. On October 13, Pope Benedict XVI named Tagle the new Manila archbishop, succeeding Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales who occupied the post for eight years, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said. The CBCP said Rosales submitted his resignation in 2007 when he turned 75, the mandatory retirement age for bishops, but the Pope extended his term indefinitely. Tagle is currently the chairman of the CBCP’s Commission on Doctrine of the Faith. Tagle is currently not eligible to become pope because he is not yet a cardinal. The pope, also known as the "Supreme Pontiff" or the Servant of the Servants of God, is elected from cardinals worldwide. According to catholic-pages.com, there are currently 199 cardinals around the world. However, those who are over 80 years old are no longer eligible to elect a pope, leaving the number of cardinal electors to 96. Goes to work by bus or bike Tagle is known for not owning a car and for going to work by bus at a time when other Catholic bishops have gained notoriety by riding SUVs donated by the government. The church beat reporter Allen shared an anecdote about the time the bishop rode a cheap bicycle to "a small chapel located in a run-down neighborhood" to say Mass at around 4:00 a.m. "An astonished member of the congregation realized it was the new bishop, and apologized that they hadn't prepared a better welcome. Tagle said it was no problem; he got word late the night before that the priest was sick, and decided to say the Mass himself," Allen wrote. Allen said Tagle was also known for inviting poor beggars outside the cathedral to share a meal with him. The CNN analyst told a story about a woman who was "looking for her blind, out-of-work, alcoholic husband, suspecting she might track him down in a local bar, only to find that he was lunching with the bishop." However, according to the CathNews report, while the bishop is famous for being humble and humorous, he is also known as someone who is not afraid "to raise questions about controversial church issues." A report of Radyo Veritas quoted several bishops as saying they welcome the appointment of Tagle, a known advocate against the passage of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill. Catholic Church officials are against the RH bill for promoting both natural and artificial methods of contraception. The Catholic Church accepts only natural family planning means. Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes said “Malaki ang magagawa ng bagong talagang arsobispo ng archdiocese of Manila na si Imus Cavite Bishop Antonio ‘Chito’ Tagle sa paglaban sa reproductive health bill.Mas malawak ang kapangyarihan at malaki ang impluwensya ngayon ni Archbishop Tagle para ipalaganap ang kanyang pagtutol sa nasabing panukala." A theologian According to CBCP Online, Tagle was born in Manila on June 21, 1957. He was ordained a priest on February 27, 1982 and later as a bishop on December 12, 2001. Tagle took his philosophy and theology studies at the San Jose Major Seminary based at the Ateneo de Manila University. He took his doctorate in sacred theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. in the United States from 1985 to 1992. Tagle has also been a member of the International Theological Commission of the Vatican since 1997. - HS, GMA News