Unusual and unprecedented

MANILA, October 13, 2011— Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Imus Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle, a known theologian, [ugh] as the new archbishop of Manila.

At 54, Tagle will succeed Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales who served the influential post for eight years.  [he is as young as Cardinal Sin!  Cardinal Sin was 53.  Well, prepare for 20 years!  Brrr!]

Archbishop-elect Tagle’s appointment was officially announced in Rome on October 13 at 12:00 noon (6:00 pm, Manila time).

The information was officially received by the Media Office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Thursday in a communiqué from the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila.

“I write to inform you that the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has appointed His Excellency Most Reverend Luis Antonio Tagle, until now Bishop of Imus, as Archbishop of Manila,” said Monsignor Gabor Pinter, Charge D’ Affaires.

Rosales, who just turned 79 years old last August 16, earlier said that the Vatican has already accepted his resignation early this year and was just waiting for his successor to be named.

The cardinal submitted his resignation in 2007 when he turned 75, the mandatory retirement age for prelates, but the pontiff extended his term indefinitely.

Born in Manila on June 21, 1957, Tagle took his Philosophy and Theology at the Ateneo De Manila University’s San Jose Major Seminary.

He was ordained to the priesthood on February 27, 1982, at the age of 25.

From 1985 to 1992, he was sent for further studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. where he earned his Doctorate in Sacred Theology.

Since 1997, Tagle is a member of the International Theological Commission of the Vatican. [where he met Cardinal Ratzinger.] In 1998, he was an expert at the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Asia that took place in Rome.

On December 12, 2001, he was ordained Bishop of Imus. Since then, his activities have been as numerous as in the past. He travels throughout the country in answer to many invitations as a speaker. [not as bishop of his diocese?]

At the Synod of Bishops held in Rome in 2005, he was elected member of the post-synodal Council and assistant to Cardinal Angelo Scola, general reporter of this Synod.

Tagle is currently the chairman of the Commission on Doctrine of the Faith of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).  [Which did not even come out with a statement against Miriam Santiago's self-deprecating statements about the Church's moral teachings against contraception.]

No date yet has been set for the installation of the new Manila archbishop. (CBCPNews) [Hopefully he does not accept.  Ha!]

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I am literally rolling over the place where I am now when I received the very sad news, by lots of email and by lots text of Bishop Tagle getting appointed as the new archbishop of Manila.

It is unusual and unprecedented since in the past only sitting archbishops get appointed to the See of Manila.  Tagle is NOT an archbishop.

Second, Tagle is a liberal.  He is a very great politician when it comes to international theological settings.  His views about the Eucharist and the Mass are LUTHERAN. Ask his students at LST.

Third, he spends much of his time outside of his diocese, teaching, giving retreats, taping TV shows. He is the Bishop of the Diocese of Imus, most of the time in absentia.  I even heard stories of the faithful of the Cathedral get so irritated with how his dad runs the show in the Cathedral, they called him Father Cardinal.

Well, I guess Chupungco and his minions still have the political clout.  I can give you my day's salary as a bet that the wishes of Cardinal Rosales was acceded to by the Pope.

If there is one decision by the Holy Father I don't like, this is it.  Number one!  Guess the rumor mill in the Vatican is that the Holy Father wants to keep his loyal subjects close to him is TRUE.

But I submit in obedience.

Let us see what he'll do.  Tagle I mean.

More TV shows?

Ha!

Bishop Tagle permitted the TLM in his Diocese in obedience to the Pope, unlike Cardinal Rosales.

Will we see the Traditional Mass make a comeback in the Manila Cathedral?

Wait and see...