Pope Francis taps Cardinal Tagle to lead top Vatican office

MANILA, Philippines — Pope Francis appointed Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle to a major Vatican post responsible for evangelization.

The 62-year-old cardinal is the new prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

The announcement was made Sunday, according to Vatican News.

Tagle will replace Cardinal Fernando Filoni, who assumes the post of Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher.

The appointment of Tagle marks the return of an Asian cardinal to the helm of the important department for evangelization and episcopal nominations in mission lands after Indian Cardinal Ivan Dias who served from 2006 to 2011.

“With this choice, announced a few days before the end of his trip to Thailand and Japan, Francis once again shows great attention to the Asian continent,” Vatican News wrote.

Tagle was appointed the Metropolitan Archbishop of Manila in October 2011 and received the cardinal’s hat in November 2012.