Tagle joins team running Vatican affairs pending new pope

Metro Manila, Philippines - Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has been appointed to a team supporting the Vatican administrator or camerlengo in running the Holy See pending the election of the next head of the Roman Catholic Church, according to a CBCP News report.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said Tagle is part of the Particular Congregation after the fifth pre-conclave meeting of cardinals, formally called General Congregation, on Monday, April 28. The conclave will begin election proceedings on May 7.

The General and Particular Congregations are responsible for managing Church affairs while the papal seat is vacant. While the General Congregation composed of all cardinals makes key decisions, the Particular Congregation - composed of the camerlengo and three cardinals - runs the daily operations.

The three cardinals rotate every three days based on the apostolic constitution issued by Pope John Paul II in 1996.

Joining Tagle, appointed by Pope Francis as pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, in the church management are Reinhard Cardinal Marx of Munich and Freising in Germany, who leads the Council for the Economy that oversees Vatican economic activities, and Dominique Cardinal Mamberti of France, prefect of the Apostolic Signatura or the supreme tribunal.

Media reports have cited Tagle and Mamberti as potential papal candidates.

Mamberti, in his role as cardinal proto-deacon or among the closest clerics to the Bishop of Rome, which is the pope, is expected to announce the new pope from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Aside from Tagle, two other Filipino cardinals are eligible to participate in the upcoming conclave: Jose Advincula of Manila and Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan.

Pope Francis died on Monday, April 21. He was 88.