Pope Leo approves Tagle for historic Vatican role: What to know

Pope Leo approved Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as the first Asian Dean of the Catholic Church’s College of Cardinals, marking a significant milestone for its leadership, the Vatican said on Friday.

Tagle, a former Metropolitan Archbishop of Manila has served as a senior Vatican official since 2020. He was widely seen as a papal candidate in the May 2025 conclave that elected Leo to lead the Church following the death of the late Pope Francis.

The 69-year-old Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista who is 92 and resigning from the role. Leo,71, is a young pope skilled in sports and physical activities.

The Dean of the College of Cardinals is first among equals among the Church’s highest-ranking clerics and is at the helm of the secretive conclave process held in the Sistine Chapel.

According to Church law, the Dean is elected by his peers and approved by the Pope and is eligible for a second-five year term. The role has mostly been filled by Europeans but was held by the late Beninese, President of the Potential Council for Justice and Peace from 1993-2002.

Moreover, Tagle was seen as a close ally of Pope Francis and is known for his radiant smile, heading the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization effectively the Church’s missionary wing.