Pope Leo XIV approved Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as the new Dean of the College of Cardinals on October 8, 2026. The Vatican announced the news the next day. Moreover, Cardinal Tagle becomes the first Asian and the first Filipino to hold the office. Therefore, many Catholics now ask what the dean actually does. In addition, they wonder whether this role leads to the papacy.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re retired from the office at the age of ninety-two. He had served as dean since January 2020. As a result, the cardinal-bishops met to choose a successor. They elected Tagle, who is sixty-nine. Meanwhile, Re now holds the title of dean emeritus and keeps his suburbicarian church of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto.
According to The Pillar, only two of the cardinal-bishops could fulfil the duties of a conclave dean. The other was Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Therefore, the choice came from a small field. Cardinal Tagle also takes the title of the suburbicarian church of Ostia. However, he keeps his earlier title of Albano.
So what does the Dean of the College of Cardinals do? First, he serves as head of the College in a coordinating and representing role. Next, he presides over its meetings. However, he does not govern the other cardinals. Instead, the Church describes him as first among equals. Thus, his authority comes from service, not command.
The role matters most when a Pope dies or resigns. In that case, the dean summons the cardinals to Rome and leads their daily meetings, called general congregations. If he is eligible, he also presides over the conclave. Furthermore, he asks the cardinal who wins the vote whether he accepts the election and what papal name he will take. Finally, if the new Pope is not yet a bishop, the dean ordains him.
However, becoming dean does not make Tagle the next Pope. The cardinal electors choose the Pope together in a conclave, and the dean does not choose the successor alone. Pope Leo XIV remains the reigning Pope. Therefore, the dean’s special duties begin only when the papacy falls vacant.
Pope Francis changed the dean’s tenure from a lifelong appointment to a five-year term, renewable if necessary. Therefore, Tagle’s term runs until 2031. Cardinal Leonardo Sandri has served as vice dean since January 2020. In this way, the College keeps a clear line of leadership.
Tagle is a fluent English speaker and a prominent theologian. Many observers named him a possible papal contender in 2013 and again in 2025. In 2015, he became president of Caritas Internationalis, a global confederation of Catholic charities. Today, he serves as pro-prefect of the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches and he keeps that role as dean.
His recent work shows how busy he stays. Pope Leo XIV sent him as special envoy to preside over the first beatification rite in Vietnam. In addition, he preached the homily at the beatification Mass for Archbishop Fulton Sheen in Saint Louis on September 24, 2026. Thus, he already carries heavy duties across the Church.
His election also matters for Asia. Commentators call it a milestone for the Asian Church. Moreover, Catholics there now see one of their own at the head of the College. This shows the universal face of the Church. In the same way, it reminds us that the Church speaks in many languages.
Let us pray for Cardinal Tagle and for Pope Leo XIV. First, ask God to give wisdom to all cardinals. Next, offer a decade of the Rosary for the Church’s leaders. Then pray for the Holy Father’s health in the coming days. For further reading, see reports from the Catholic Review, The Pillar and GMA News. In addition, you can read our earlier post, Pray for Pope Leo XIV: Pontiff Announces Lung Nodule Surgery.
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