Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has praised Pope Leo XIV as a Pontiff uniquely formed by diverse cultures and missionary experience, saying his global background will enrich the Church’s witness in a deeply interconnected and fractured world.
In a special interview with Vatican News, the Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization described the new Pope, born in the United States and formed as a priest and bishop in Peru, as someone whose multicultural identity is not incidental, but providential.
“Without denying the primacy of grace in the ministry of Pope Leo, I believe that his human, cultural, religious and missionary background will give a unique face to his ministry,” Cardinal Tagle said.
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected on May 8, 2025, after a brief conclave. His identity as a religious, a member of the Augustinian Order and his cross-continental formation have led many to refer to him as the “Pope of two worlds.” For Cardinal Tagle, this is not just a symbolic title, but a sign of the Church’s increasingly global face.
“The Petrine ministry… remains the same but each Pope lives and exercises it through his unique humanity,” he explained. “Pope Leo’s multi-continental and multi-cultural background will surely help him in his ministry and benefit the Church.”
As a cardinal from Asia, Tagle said the people of his region are deeply receptive to a Pope who embodies universality in his very person. He added that the Pope is loved in Asia “not only by Catholics, but also by other Christians and followers of non-Christian religions.”
Tagle’s remarks highlight the significance of Pope Leo’s pastoral identity, formed in the urban parishes of Peru, educated in the United States, and shaped by decades of service within a global religious order. His leadership of the Dicastery for Bishops since 2023 has further given him close contact with dioceses around the world.
“He has a deep and patient capacity for listening,” Tagle said. “He engages in careful study and reflection before making a decision… Pope Leo brings a calm warmth, shaped by prayer and missionary experience.”
Reflecting on the moment of Pope Leo’s election in the Sistine Chapel, Tagle recalled sitting beside him when the two-thirds majority was reached. He described it as a sacred, interior moment of acceptance.
“His reaction alternated between smiling and breathing deeply. It was holy resignation and holy fear combined… I said to myself, ‘Let holy silence envelope Jesus and Peter.’”
Tagle believes that Pope Leo’s multicultural and missionary experience positions him to address the complexities of the modern world, bridging divides across geography, language, and class, and offering a pastoral voice to a Church called to be both global and deeply local.
“After a Jesuit, we now have an Augustinian,” Tagle reflected. “But both found in Jesus what their restless hearts were searching for. Their charisms, Ignatian and Augustinian, are treasures of the whole Church. And now, so is Pope Leo.”
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