Tagle to be installed as Manila archbishop Monday

MANILA, Philippines—Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle will formally take over his archdiocese during solemn installation rites at the Manila Cathedral on Monday morning.

Tagle’s installation at 9 a.m. will be preceded by a “karakol” dance-procession that will start at the San Agustin Church, according to Fr. Reginald Malicdem, private secretary of the outgoing Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales. The activity will be joined by more than 1,500 priests, religious men and women, and lay faithful from Tagle’s previous diocese of Imus.

“This is the symbolic accompanying of the Caviteños to Archbishop Tagle,” Malicdem told reporters in a press briefing. The karakol participants will pass by the Arzobispado (Archbishop’s Residence) where Tagle is set to join them before proceeding to the cathedral.

In front of the cathedral, there will be a civic reception by the mayors of the five cities covered by the archdiocese—Manila, Pasay, Makati, Mandaluyong and San Juan. The mayors, Malicdem said, will hand over to Tagle symbolic keys to their cities “signifying the cooperation and collaboration of Church and civic authorities in the promotion of the common good and the pursuit of peace and justice.”

After the civic reception, Tagle will enter the cathedral and the rite of liturgical reception and canonical installation will begin.

Tagle, 54, is the 32nd archbishop of Manila, considered the primatial or principal see of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. He is also the fourth Filipino archbishop and the first Manila archbishop to be named by Pope Benedict XVI, and the youngest archbishop of Manila since Irish-born Michael James O’Doherty, who was only 42 when he was appointed in 1916.

In his Sunday “The Word Exposed” program (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBl4h636zjM) posted on YouTube, Tagle expressed his gratitude to the people who had welcomed his appointment and called on them to pray that he remain humble despite his becoming the leader of the country’s most influential Catholic see.

“I’m very grateful and thankful to people who have expressed their joy in this new mission. I am really consoled by the many expressions of support, prayer and joy. But this [Sunday’s Gospel reading] is a good reminder to me. I should not rejoice in myself. This is not an occasion to rejoice in my stature, my status, my so-called accomplishments. No, this is not about me. If there is any rejoicing that should happen, it is rejoicing in the Lord. And please pray that I may remain a humble, truthful servant, not pointing to myself, but pointing to the One who is greater than all of us, the One who really matters – Jesus, Emmanuel,” Tagle said.

The archbishop lectured on Sunday’s Gospel reading about St. John the Baptist answering queries by Jewish priests on whether he was the Messiah they were waiting for.

St. John, who could have easily replied “yes,” for self-glorification, was humble enough to state that he was just a mere “voice in the desert” preparing people for the real Messiah, his cousin Jesus Christ, Tagle recounted.

The prelate warned people against taking advantage of opportunities to become leaders just to be famous or to pursue selfish interests.

“Please, let us learn from sad lessons of history. Whenever people rejoiced in self-promotion, whenever people rejoiced in promoting their self-interest—that spells out destruction. Let us learn true rejoicing in the Lord, in the spirit of discernment, prayer, humility and truthfulness,” Tagle said.

Before entering the cathedral for the Mass, a rite of reception will be held at the main doors where Tagle wil be received by auxiliary (assistant) bishops Broderick Pabillo and Bernardino Cortez, according to Fr. Genaro Diwa of the archdiocesan ministry of liturgical affairs.

The cathedral’s rector, Msgr. Nestor Cerbo, will then offer Tagle a crucifix to be kissed and a sprinkler of holy water with which the prelate sprinkles himself and those present. Diwa said Tagle will kiss the crucifix “as a reminder of his relationship with Christ, Who suffered and died for His flock while the sprinkling of the holy water recalls the baptismal character from which the people have been made children of God.”

Afterwards, Tagle will be escorted to the Blessed Sacrament chapel, where he will kneel for a moment in adoration.

The rite of canonical installation will then begin with the so-called “taking possession of the diocese.”

“After reverencing the altar, the archbishop goes to his chair. Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, the administrator of the archdiocese of Manila, begins the celebration of the Eucharist and greets the people of God gathered for the celebration. After the greeting, the cardinal asks that the [Pope’s] letter [appointing Tagle the new archbishop] be shown and read,” added Fr. Carmelo Arada, also of the liturgical affairs ministry.

After the reading of the letter, Tagle will be led to the “cathedra” or his chair, Arada explained, adding, “With the reform of the liturgy in Second Vatican Council, the cathedra of the bishop has come to signify his seat of leadership, no longer a throne. The cathedra is a sign of his teaching office and pastoral power in the particular Church.”

The archbishop will then be greeted by members of the clergy, religious men and women, the faithful, and representatives of the civil authority.

“This signifies the respect and obedience the people of God ought to render the chief shepherd of the archdiocese,” Arada said.

The celebration of the Eucharist, he said, will continue, presided by the new archbishop.

“The culmination of the celebration is his [presiding] over the Eucharistic celebration for the office of bishop as teacher, sanctifier and pastor of his Church shines forth most clearly in a liturgy that he celebrates with his people,” Arada explained.

The installation ceremonies will be streamed live on the Internet via two websites (https://www.tvmaria.net and https://www.quiapochurch.net).

Tagle’s installation coincides with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the same day he was ordained bishop by Rosales’ predecessor, the late Jaime Cardinal Sin, 10 years ago.

The Pope accepted Rosales’ resignation and appointed Tagle as his successor on October 13.

Tagle was born on June 21, 1957, and ordained to the priesthood on Feb. 27, 1982, at the age of 25. On Oct. 22, 2001, he was named bishop of Imus, which covers Cavite province. His principal consecrator was then Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin.

Tagle took his philosophy and theology studies at the San Jose Major Seminary based at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City. He earned his doctorate in sacred theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he studied from 1985 to 1992.

He has been a member of the International Theological Commission of the Vatican since 1997, and sat as an expert at the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Asia in Rome.

He is currently the chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines–Commission on Doctrine of the Faith.