By RAYMUND F. ANTONIO
October 25, 2012, 7:23pm
MANILA, Philippines --- “It both consoles and terrifies me.”
This was how Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle described his feelings and the tasks that await him after Pope Benedict XVI named him a cardinal, along with five other archbishops from various countries.
“I am consoled by the trust and love that the Pope shows to me, to the Archdiocese of Manila, and indeed to the whole Church in the Philippines,” Tagle said.
“He wants to hear us and to benefit from our experiences of faith and mission. I am also consoled by the assurances of prayer and support from so many people,” he added.
Tagle, head of the country’s largest archdiocese, is among those who will receive the red hat in a consistory that will take place on November 24.
The Pope appointed Tagle to the College of Cardinals along with five other archbishops from different countries.
He, however, said it is not going to be a walk in the park though because of the magnitude of the task at hand.
“It requires further broadening of horizon, a careful study of worldwide developments in society and the Church and an intensification of the mission of the Archdiocese of Manila and the Church in the Philippines even in different parts of the world, especially in Asia,” he explained.
The other five named Cardinals are Archbishop James Michael Harvey, His Beatitude Bechara Boutros Rai, patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites of Lebanon, His Beatitude Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, major archbishop of Trivandrum, Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan and Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez.
Archbishop Tagle is currently in Rome taking part in the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization. He is set to return in the Philippines on November 1.
While he is in the Vatican City, Tagle said he is grateful that the Pope named him cardinal, which coincided with canonization of San Pedro Calungsod, the Year of Faith, and the Synod of Bishops.
“These events fill me with much courage and joy. I bow before the God of mercy and entrust our people and our Church to the loving protection of Mary Our Mother,” he said.
In Manila, Church leaders congratulated Tagle and expressed their support to the country’s seventh and young cardinal.
“This shows his great confidence on our archbishop. We are also happy that our Archbishop is being called to serve the universal church and in helping the Holy Father. This poses a challenge to us as local church to be worthy of our new cardinal by being better at being Church,”said Manila Auxilliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo.
“It is a gift on the part of our beloved Archbishop to be chosen as a trusted and responsible co-worker of the Holy Father, in loving and serving the Universal Church. We pray that the Lord will bring to fulfillment, His divine will be on our beloved Archbishop of Manila,” said Manila Auxiliary Bishop Bernardino Cortez.
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