Pope Leo XIV has approved the election of Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as dean of the College of Cardinals, making him the first Asian to lead the Catholic body. The Vatican announced the decision today, marking a historic change in its leadership.Tagle, 69, succeeds Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, 92, who is retiring after leading the college since 2020. Cardinal bishops elected Tagle yesterday, with Pope Leo subsequently approving their choice.

The College of Cardinals consists of senior Catholic clerics who advise the pope and undertake responsibilities when the papacy becomes vacant. Its dean coordinates the cardinals and plays a central role in preparing for the election of a new pontiff.During a papal transition, the dean helps oversee meetings ahead of the conclave. If eligible to vote, the dean can also preside over the conclave itself, where cardinal electors choose the next pope behind closed doors in the Sistine Chapel.

Pope Leo Approves Tagle’s Historic Vatican Role

Pope Leo XIV’s approval of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as dean of the College of Cardinals places the Filipino cleric in a prominent Vatican leadership role, although it does not designate him as a future pope. A former archbishop of Manila, Tagle has held senior Vatican responsibilities since 2020 and currently serves in the Dicastery for Evangelization. He was also considered a potential papal candidate during the 2025 conclave that elected Pope Leo following Pope Francis’s death.

He was widely associated with Francis’s pastoral approach and outreach to communities beyond Europe.The dean serves a five-year term, renewable once, under reforms introduced by Pope Francis. Although Europeans have traditionally occupied the position, Cardinal Bernardin Gantin of Benin previously held it.Tagle’s selection represents an important milestone for Asian Catholics and underscores the increasingly international character of the Church’s highest leadership.