EXPLAINER: What is the role of Cardinal Tagle as Dean of the College of Cardinals?

Released October 10, 2026 12:53 am

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VATICAN CITY– Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle has actually been chosen Dean of the College of Cardinals, ending up being the very first Asian cardinal to hold the position.

Pope Leo XIV authorized the election on October 8, 2026, following the approval of the resignation of Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. The Vatican revealed the advancement on October 9, 2026.

Tagle’s election marks a historical turning point for the Catholic Church in Asia and the Philippines. What does the Dean of the College of Cardinals do, and why is the position crucial?

What is the College of Cardinals?

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The College of Cardinals is made up of senior Church leaders who recommend the Pope and, when the papacy ends up being uninhabited, choose his follower in a conclave. Just cardinals who satisfy the requirements under Church law might enact the papal election.

What is the function of the Dean?

The Dean acts as the head of the College of Cardinals in a collaborating and representative capability. The position is frequently referred to as primus inter pares, implying “initially amongst equates to.”

The Dean does not govern the Church in location of the Pope, the function ends up being especially essential when a Pope passes away or resigns, and the Church prepares for a brand-new pontificate.

What takes place when a Pope passes away?

Under the Vatican’s apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, the Dean has numerous essential duties throughout a papal job, referred to as sede vacante.

The Dean needs to inform and summon the cardinals to conferences called General Congregations, where they talk about the Church’s requirements and get ready for the conclave. The Dean likewise plays a main function in collaborating the procedure resulting in the election of the next Pope.

If qualified to get involved as a primary elector, the Dean commands the conclave. If the chosen Pope is not currently a bishop, the Dean is accountable for ordaining him a bishop.

The Cardinal Camerlengo has different duties worrying the administration and protecting of the Holy See’s temporal products and rights throughout the job.

Why is Cardinal Tagle’s election historical?

Cardinal Tagle is the very first Asian cardinal to function as Dean of the College of Cardinals. His election is a substantial advancement for the Catholic Church in Asia and the Philippines, a mainly Catholic nation with a big Filipino neighborhood overseas.

His brand-new position puts a Filipino Church leader in an essential collaborating function within among the Catholic Church’s crucial organizations.

Ending up being Dean does not immediately make Cardinal Tagle the next Pope. The Pope is chosen by qualified primary electors in a conclave, and the Dean does pass by the follower alone.

What takes place next?

Cardinal Tagle will presume the title of the Suburbicarian Church of Ostia while keeping his existing title of Albano. He will likewise continue his work as Pro-Prefect of the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches within the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization.

His election is both a historical turning point for Filipino Catholics and an essential duty in collaborating the College of Cardinals, especially throughout a future shift of papal management.— LDF, GMA News


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