Over the seven years since Francis’ election, the activity of the Roman Curia has largely taken a back-seat to the doings of the Pope himself. Yet while that’s due to a number of factors, for once, it’s certainly not the case today.
In a rare Sunday announcement (and on a major feast, no less), at Roman Noon on the Immaculate Conception, Francis named Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, 62, until now the head of Asia’s largest diocese in Manila, as prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples: the 400 year-old entity which oversees the missionary works of the global church.
The last cardinal to be elevated by Benedict XVI before his resignation from the papacy, Tagle’s full-time arrival on the Vatican stage – and the massive notice it’ll receive – reflects that rarest of things on this beat: “star power.” Over his decade on the global scene, the new Propaganda chief has attracted a cult following that extends well beyond the considerable Filipino diaspora, in large part given his tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve (and, with it, use his sleeve as a Kleenex).