The karaoke cardinal who could be pope
At a seminary two hours south of Manila, the concrete walls are adorned with photos and memorabilia of the man that many hope will be the next pope.
In most of the images, Luis Antonio Tagle, a Filipino cardinal, is giving Mass or shaking hands with well-known Catholics. But alongside the pictures of his official duties, he can also be seen bursting into song during karaoke performances and dancing with excited parishioners.
Next to these albums, a locked cabinet holds a vast collection of personal mementoes, including a used toothbrush, an expired bank card and a pair of rusting nail clippers, gathered over the years by the seminary's staff.
Susan de Guzman has known 'Cardinal Chito', as he is affectionately known in the Philippines, since he was rector at the Tahanan ng Mabuting Pastol seminary in the early 1990s.
'He loves to sing,' said Ms de Guzman, who has worked in the seminary's kitchen for over 30 years.
'I remember one day we had a staff talent show and everyone planned to perform, but then Cardinal Chito picked up a guitar and started singing and one of the other priests started dancing. Everyone was laughing so much that we never got through the other acts,' she told The Telegraph.
His go-to songs were slow Tagalog love ballads, recalled Ms de Guzman. In particular, she remembered him frequently singing Handog, a popular song by Filipino singer Florante.
Later on, Cardinal Tagle would also perform famous English songs, like John Lennon's Imagine, though he would leave out the part that mentions heaven, hell and religion.
His love for singing and dancing is an adored part of his outgoing and playful personality that has allowed him to rise up to the rank of Cardinal-Bishop in the church and has made him a frontrunner to be the next Pope.
While many have drawn comparisons with the similarly charismatic Pope Francis, friends and followers of Cardinal Tagle say that his extroverted qualities are balanced out by a uniquely quiet and thoughtful side that could see him steer the church in a slightly different way if he were to be chosen.
Cardinal Tagle grew up in Imus, a city near Manila. His parents, both bankers, along with his younger brother, still live in the same large three-storey home where he was raised.
Today, the house, which is a short walk from the town's central cathedral, is encircled by a tall, green facade, blocking any curious passers-by from seeing inside.
Several residents told The Telegraph that the family wasn't always this private. In fact, they used to have an open-door policy for seminarians, but as Cardinal Tagle's profile grew, they had to make certain changes.
Cardinal Tagle moved back to Imus after his time at the Tahanan ng Mabuting Pastol seminary, first working as a priest and later as bishop at Imus Cathedral.
John Espinoza, an Imus native who now works at the Archdiocese of Manila, remembered Cardinal Tagle showing up to Mass on a tricycle in such an unassuming fashion that parishioners didn't realise he was the bishop until he stood up at the altar.
'People were asking, 'Where's the bishop?'' said Mr Espinoza. 'Then he would say, 'I will be presiding over the Mass', and the people were shocked.'
But his Masses were always crowd pleasers. Mr Efran Kaiklian, who works as a gardener at Imus Cathedral, said that whenever Cardinal Tagle took Mass, the church would be so full that people were spilling out into the car park.
His popularity also meant that when it was time for communion, the moment during Mass when parishioners line up to receive the body and blood of Christ, everyone would line up in front of Cardinal Tagle instead of the lay ministers, to the cardinal's frustration.
Mr Kaiklian added that it isn't common for bishops to bring in such large crowds, but 'Cardinal Chito' has a 'special charisma' that draws people to him. By contrast, when The Telegraph attended an evening Mass at Manila Cathedral with the current archbishop, the church was barely a third full.
Part of Cardinal Tagle's magnetism is his sense of humour, said Father Ramon Bautista, a director at the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific and a fellow seminary classmate back in the 1980s.
'He's a funny guy, he can crack jokes,' said Father Ramon. 'He can easily connect with people because he's not threatening at all.'
After 13 years in Imus, Cardinal Tagle was nominated to Archbishop of Manila where he served for nine years. Then came his major promotion in 2020 to bishop of the titular San Felice da Cantalice a Centocelle in Rome, which he continues to hold today.
As the cardinal rose up through the ranks and gained acclamation, those in the church were quick to notice similarities between him and Pope Francis, even referring to him as the 'Asian Francis' because of their closely aligned values.
Both were part of the more progressive arm of the Catholic Church that is known for making overtures to those who have historically been marginalised, such as members of the LGBT community.
Pope Francis broke from past norms by allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples. He also famously asked, 'Who am I to judge?' when speaking about gay people who were seeking out God.
Cardinal Tagle has similarly previously called for the church to reassess its 'severe' stance towards gay peopl e, as well as divorcees and single mothers. He said that previous positions had done lasting harm and that each individual deserved compassion and respect.
'Cardinal Tagle is very progressive and I think he would follow what Pope Francis started,' said Rev Crescencio Agbayani Jr, an openly gay pastor and founder of the LGBT Church in the country.
'I think he will use mercy and compassion to understand the LGBTQIA in the Philippines because he is very tolerant.'
But the reverend cautioned that even with a progressive pope, 'the Roman Catholic church will not change in one year' – it takes 'over 100 years' for the teachings to shift.
While Cardinal Tagle and Pope Francis share many of the same values, those who know the Filipino cardinal believe that the two differ in their temperament and leadership styles.
Father Emmanuel 'Nono' Alfonso, who has been friends with Cardinal Tagle for more than 20 years and hosts a Jesuit television show, told The Telegraph that while Pope Francis could be confrontational, Cardinal Tagle has a tendency to adopt a softer approach.
He gave the example of Pope Francis' Christmas greeting in 2014, where he delivered a scathing critique of the church's highest-ranking officials less than two years into his papacy.
'When I asked Chito about that, he said that he would have been more diplomatic,' said Father Nono.
'You know why? Because Asians are like that. They're not going to confront you.'
Cardinal Tagle used this softer approach when dealing with former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte during his bloody war on drugs, in which as many as 30,000 people were killed.
While the Catholic Church is generally against political engagement, many wanted Cardinal Tagle, who was Archbishop of Manila at the time, to take a harder line against the president.
'He didn't really speak out. Tagle is more of a scholar, very spiritual, and as much as possible, he doesn't seem to want to touch on temporal matters,' 77-year-old parishioner Edgar Iustrecca told The Telegraph at morning Mass at the Manila Cathedral in late April.
Father Nono also heard these criticisms, but came to his old friend's defence, explaining that instead of publicly condemning Duterte, Cardinal Tagle worked behind the scenes, organising conferences at the archbishop's residence between Duterte's men and different sectors, and working directly with drug rehabilitation centres.
'He didn't see the point in coming out and confronting Duterte head-on so he went about it in a different way,' said Father Nono, noting that he would likely behave similarly as pope.
The two men also come from different educational backgrounds. Unlike Pope Francis who studied chemistry, Cardinal Tagle is a lifelong student of the church, earning a doctorate in episcopal collegiality at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC.
'He's a professional theologian,' said Father Nono. 'He would like to engage intellectually and write, but he can't do that anymore since becoming bishop then archbishop.'
As was the case for Pope Francis, a key mandate for the next pope will be keeping the church relevant in a changing world. Part of this involves engaging with the younger generations in new and dynamic ways while also continuing to appease the conservative branches of the church.
Father Ramon, the Jesuit conference director, explained that because of his charisma, Cardinal Tagle is able to connect with a wide range of people and as pope he could use this skill to bring more people to the church.
'Knowing him, he will try to reach out and be relevant. He can both speak the language of young people and he can speak the language of traditionalists,' said Father Ramon.
'He can be very dramatic. He can make you cry and he can make you laugh at the same time. He has an appeal to young people precisely because of this gift.'
The Vatican's outreach efforts have been particularly successful in Asia, where the number of Catholics has steadily been increasing.
In 2021, the number of Catholics in Asia increased by 1.49 million, with the majority concentrated in India and the Philippines, where around 80 per cent of the population is Catholic. The number has continued to rise in the years since, with Pope Francis even remarking that Asia would represent 'the future of the church'.
Father Vladimir Echalas, the research director at the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said that this increase is due to a concerted effort in the region to bring more people into the faith.
'There is a missionary dynamism especially in the Philippines and India, which are actively involved in evangelisation, both locally and abroad. Asia is also a fertile ground for interreligious dialogue and evangelisation,' he told The Telegraph.
Cardinal Tagle has been at the forefront of these efforts, forming the Office for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation while Archbishop of Manila.
Father Vladimir believes that he would likely continue this outreach as pope, and his papacy alone could 'boost the church in Asia'.
While the conclave that will determine the next pontiff won't begin until May 7, Cardinal Tagle's unofficial candidacy has caught the attention of believers and non-believers alike in the Philippines, with many already bursting with excitement and planning the ways in which they might celebrate.
'All Filipinos, even non Catholics, will be happy if he becomes the next pope,' said Rev Crescencio. 'It would be a really exciting event. We would have fiestas here and everybody would sing karaoke.'
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