by Margaux Salcedo
His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has been officially appointed Cardinal Vescovo or Cardinal-Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church.
Pope Francis confirmed this in an audience with the Substitute for General Affairs on April 14, and this comes to force today, May 1, 2020, as published in the L'Osservatore Romano and then published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis.
Cardinal Tagle was already a member of the Order of Bishops. However, this appointment now promotes him so that in the College of Cardinals, he is now numbered among the Cardinal-Bishops.
In the Roman Catholic Church, cardinals are either: Cardinal-Deacons, who are generally those assigned to Vatican offices; Cardinal-Priests, who are assigned to dioceses all over the world; or Cardinal-Bishops, who are assigned to the Vatican but given a special role by the Pope.
Cardinal Tagle now joins the Cardinal Bishops in the Latin rite.
Cardinal Tagle's titular church in Rome, since he was appointed Cardinal in 2012, is St. Felix of Cantalice at Centocelle, which is usually assigned to Cardinals who are Bishops in their own Dioceses, as when Cardinal Tagle was Archbishop of Manila, and before him, Cardinal Stephen Kim, who was Archbishop of Seoul. In the College of Cardinals, they are Cardinal-Priests. However, now that Cardinal Tagle is Prefect for the Congregation of the Evangelization of Peoples, he has been elevated as Cardinal-Bishop while retaining his titular church.
Here is the English translation of the announcement of Cardinal Tagle's appointment as Cardinal-Bishop:
According to Catholic Hierarchy, Cardinal Tagle is only the 11th Cardinal to join the list of Cardinal-Bishops of the Church.
Congratulations to His Eminence Cardinal Tagle on joining the Cardinal-Bishops of the Church!