Photo credit: Escudos Ecclesiasticos Ph
The Coat of Arms of His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has been updated, following his promotion to the Roman Curia as Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelizatio of Peoples.
According to the designers Escudos Ecclesiasticos Ph, "Now that he is no longer the incumbent Ordinary (of the Archdiocese of Manila), the coat of arms of the Archdiocese is no longer depicted."
The designers also shared that "while the updated coat of arms retained all the essential elements found in the sinister side of his coat of arms as Archbishop of Manila, the new version adopted a different marshaling (division)."
As per the designers, the updates are as follows:
1) In the yellow gold (Or) dexter side, one can find an open Bible inscribed with the Greek letters "Alpha" and "Omega ", side by side with an image of the Good Shepherd carrying a lamb upon his shoulders and holding a wooden staff in his right hand. A net is suspended from his right arm, its dexter (right) end spreading wide downwards. Five fishes are entangled in the net.
2) From the base of the blue (Azure) sinister side, a Corinthian pillar rises. It is surmounted by the white (Argent) monogram of the Blessed Virgin Mary, crowned and encircled by twelve golden stars. The symbol refers to Our Lady of Pillar, the Patroness of the home parish and diocese of origin of Cardinal Tagle.
3) The corinthian column is used instead of the ionic column in his previous coat of arms. This corinthian column is the type of column on which the image of the Blessed Virgin in Piazza Spagna, Rome stands. The column is right in front of the Cardinal's Office as Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
4) The triangular green (Vert) base of the shield is charged with a yellow gold (Or) carpenter's square superimposed on two white (Argent) lilies with stalk and leaves.
Behind the shield stands an archbishop's cross. Both are surmounted by a red (Gules) galero, with fifteen red (Gules) tassels hanging at both side of the cardinalatial headgear, arranged in 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
5) Expressed in the language of heraldry, the coat of arms is blazoned as follows:
Tierced per pall reversed Or, Azure and Vert. In dexter side, arranged in fess, an open Bible inscribed with the Greek letters Α and Ω Sable, and an image of the Good Shepherd Proper carrying a sheep upon his shoulders and holding a wooden staff Proper in his dexter hand, a net Sable, sinister chief point suspended from the dexter arm of the Good Shepherd and the dexter fesse point to the base, five fishes Sable entangled in the net. Issuing out of the base of sinister side, a Corinthian Pillar Or surmounted by the monogram of the Blessed Virgin Mary Argent, crowned and encircled by twelve stars, all of the first. In base, a Carpenter’s square Or superimposed on two lilies stalked and leaved, all of the fifth.
6) Behind the shield is an archepiscopal cross. Both are surmounted by a galero with fifteen tassels pendant from both sides in 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, all Gules.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on December 8, 2019. Prior to that, he was Archbishop of Manila; and prior to that, he was Bishop of the Diocese of Imus.