Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Section for First Evangelisation and New Particular Churches within the Dicastery for Evangelisation, has been elected Dean of the College of Cardinals.
The Filipino cardinal was elected to the position on Thursday, 8 October, by the cardinals of the Order of Cardinal-Bishops, and was announced on Friday.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who is now 92-years-old, had led the College of Cardinals for nearly seven years.
As part of his new role, Cardinal Tagle will assume the title of the Suburbicarian Church of Ostia, a titular see historically assigned to the Dean of the College, while retaining the title of the Suburbicarian Church of Albano.
Cardinal Tagle had been considered one of the most likely candidates for the Papacy during the last Papal Conclave. He had previously served as Archbishop of Manilla from 2011 to 2020 before being appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.
The Dean of the College of Cardinals plays an important role in the life of the Church.
He must reside permanently in Rome to be available for Vatican matters. He presides over meetings and acts as the point of references for the College of Cardinals in its dealings with the Roman Curia and the Pope.
Following the death of a Pontiff, the Dean summons the Conclave for electing a new pope, preside over the daily meetings of the College in advance of the Conclave and presides over the Conclave if his age permits. During the period without a pope, he is the public face of the Holy See until a new pope is elected.
Cardinal Tagle’s election wasn’t the only major move in Rome over the weekend.
On Saturday, Pope Leo XIV also appointed Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola OFM, previously secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, as Vicar General for Vatican City, Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican and president of the Fabric of Saint Peter.
Cardinal Mauro Gambetti OFMConv had served in these positions from 2021 to 2026 but was recently appointed to head the Archdiocese of Chieti-Vasto.
