"Not only are Tagle and Pope Francis both Jesuit educated, their work and ascent in the Church have been marked by excellence, humility and sensitivity to the plight of the poor."
"Not only are Tagle and Pope Francis both Jesuit educated, their work and ascent in the Church have been marked by excellence, humility and sensitivity to the plight of the poor."We are still blessed. Despite all the trials and hardships our countrymen, here and abroad, are going through in the midst of this pandemic, we remain resilient and hopeful. And, we have leaders, like President Duterte and newly appointed Cardinal Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle, showing us the light in more ways than one.
Since he took office, President Duterte has shown exemplary, albeit crude (barok to his critics),
leadership which has endeared him to our people. Despite his unorthodox style and the constant sniping of his critics, his approval ratings remain in the 80s – an unprecedented feat by the standards of the presidency in this our benighted land. But not unusual to those who have known him since he became Davao City Mayor in 1988. They pointed to what they called his " class act" last Monday in the course of his weekly reporting on our COVID-19 responses.
Without any misstep, he humbly and with a contrite heart, apologized to our people including business leaders he may have hurled unspoken words in the past for the government's inadequacies in alleviating the hardships COVID-19 have wrought on all of us. He called for patience and for one and all to come around together to battle this invisible enemy as he rallied the country to steadfastly sustain our defenses as we navigate the waters, so to speak. That was the true mark of a leader: sensitive to the people's plight, humble but bold, steady and compassionate.
And it was definitely not put on as he also ordered PhilHealth to stop the imposition of an additional and might I add, outrageous, premium on OFW contributions to the agency. Our OFWs and, yes, our people have long been asking where our universal health care insurer, PhilHealth, was in this crisis only to be shocked with this unfair and unjust imposition. Sensing the injustice being imposed, he even shrugged of his Health Secretary's advice to just suspend the imposition in the meantime and insisted that the premium be "voluntary."
Cardinal Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle's latest assignment and expected initiatives from hereon is no less impressive. Last Friday, Pope Francis promoted Tagle and Italian Cardinal Benjamin Stella to cardinal bishops, the highest category of cardinals within the College of Cardinals. The ranking within that conclave consists of cardinal deacons, cardinal priests and cardinal bishops. The Cardinal Priests are those who serve in dioceses outside Rome/Vatican and comprise the overwhelming majority in the conclave. On the other hand, the Cardinal Deacons are considered part of the " Papal cabinet" while the Cardinal Bishops holds jurisdiction over a church in a suburb of Rome/Vatican (suburbicarian dioceses) and handle departments within the Roman Curia, the central administration of the Church.
It is well known within Church circles that Cardinal Bishop Tagle is close to Pope Francis. Not only are they both Jesuit educated, their work and ascent in the Church have been marked by excellence, humility and sensitivity to the plight of the poor. In his capacity as Archbishop of Manila, Tagle initiated a number of programs meant to alleviate the plight of the poor through proper education, informed ministry and responsible work. He was able to get the faithful to advocacies and projects promoting human dignity and good citizenship. With his impressive work in Manila propagating God's Word, he was tapped to head the Vatican's Congregation for the Evangelization of People's, considered a very strategic post meant to bring the faith closer to God's people through the thousands of churches, religious organizations and associates but to all peoples of whatever race, creed or affiliation.
With this assignment, Cardinal Bishop Tagle will now have the opportunity to creatively expand the Church's evangelization efforts in a world which has seen huge changes over the years. And given this pandemic and global lockdown, the work of this department will really be such a huge challenge. So, as head of the congregation which makes Cardinal Bishop Tagle a step closer for possible consideration to succeed Pope Francis, he will once again display his mettle and do the " class act" expected of him.
To both leaders, our prayers for good health and success. We need them both to carry us through our own " valley of tears."