MANILA (UCAN): Luis Cardinal Tagle of Manila, bade farewell to his hometown of Imus, in Cavite province, south of Manila, on January 20, before his expected departure for Rome.
The cardinal, who is archbishop of Manila, was appointed prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples in December.
The 62-year-old cardinal is only the second Asian to lead the congregation, popularly known by its old name of Propaganda Fide.
Cardinal Tagle’s appointment makes him one of only nine members of the powerful Roman Curia at the Vatican
During Mass at the Our Lady of the Pillar cathedral parish, the cardinal said the celebration of the Eucharist with his own people “gives me strength.”
It was in the same cathedral where he was baptized, and where he was ordained a priest in 1982 and a bishop in 2001.
“From here, I will be an overseas Filipino worker,” he said, adding, “Please continue praying for me, especially for Pope Francis.”
The cardinal is expected to assume his post at the Vatican in the coming weeks.
In his homily, Cardinal Tagle warned against the tendency of self-promotion, saying that mission without spirituality has no value.
“Mission is spirituality. We might be doing something but not a mission,” he said, adding that action and spirituality are linked.
“We can’t have spirituality without action,” he said.
