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The Facebook Pope?

Singing Philippine cardinal who uses social networking to spread the gospel isAsia's leading contender to become the next pontiff

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is Asia's most prominent Roman Catholic Nicknamed 'Chito' by his followers he sings on stage and preaches on TVHis compassion for the poor has impressed church leaders in the VaticanHowever many believe an African or South American Pope is more likely

By DANIEL MILLER The Daily Mail

He's the singing Cardinal who uses Facebook to spread the word of the Lord, and he's

now being tipped as a contender to become the first Asian Pope.Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Asia's most prominent Roman Catholic leader,sings on stage, preaches on TV and reduces churchgoers to laughter and tears with hisoften light-hearted sermons.With his down-to-earth, personable manner, Tagle, nicknamed 'Chito' by his adoring fol-lowers, seems a world apart from the conservative Cardinals and Bishops of Europe andNorth America.

Contender: Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is being tippedto become the first Asian pope

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On the pulse: The Cardinal's Facebook page Facebook pageadvertising his televised Sunday sermons

His compassion for the poor and unassuming ways have impressed followers in hishomeland, Asia's largest Catholic nation, and church leaders in the Vatican.Despite this his chances of becoming Pontiff are considered remote, as many believe thatLatin America or Africa - with their faster growing Catholic flocks - would be more logicalchoices if the papal electors look beyond Europe.More… 

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But even the hint of papal consideration has electrified many in the heavily Catholic Phil-ippines, where past pontiffs had been welcomed by millions with rock-star intensity.'It'll bring such immense glory to us and our country,' said Leo Matias, one of severalwaiters at a Chinese restaurant in Manila's suburban Quezon city who served dinner toPope John Paul II when he visited in 1995.The restaurant has displayed the set of spoon, fork, table napkin, water goblet and knives- still unwashed after the pope's meal of grilled fish and fried shrimp.The talks surrounding Tagle have been fueled by prominent Vatican experts, who see in

the boyish-looking cardinal the religious zest, stamina, charisma and communicationsskills that could energize the church facing crises on many fronts.

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 Appointment: Cardinal Tagle receives his biretta hat from Pope Benedict XVIas he is made a cardinal in November last year

Personable: Cardinal Tagle, seen here with fellow Filipino Cardinal Ricardo Vidal,has impressed church leaders in the Vatican with his compassion for the poor

John Thavis, a Vatican analyst and author of 'The Vatican Diaries,' said the selection ofPolish-born John Paul II in 1979 shows the 'unthinkable' can occur once the cardinals areclosed off in the conclave.

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 'There are people, even Vatican officials here, who have whispered to me, `Tagle, he'sthe man,'' Thavis told The Associated Press.When asked about the papal buzz, Tagle demurred: 'Only a speculation.''He's an effective communicator and missionary at a time when Catholicism's highest in-ternal priority is a new evangelization,' John Allen, a Rome-based analyst, wrote for theNational Catholic Reporter

'Tagle incarnates the dramatic growth of Catholicism outside the West, putting a face onthe dynamic and relatively angst-free form of Catholicism percolating in the SouthernHemisphere,' he said.'He would certainly be a symbol of the church in the emerging world, but given his intel-lectual and personal qualities, hardly a hollow one.'Still, Tagle's relative youth - at 55, he's the second youngest among the cardinals - couldbe a liability. Cardinals could be reluctant to risk giving the reins of the Vatican to some-one who could reign for decades.The churchman who last caught the deep adoration of many Filipino Catholics was Cardi-nal Jaime Sin, who died in 2005. A beloved spiritual leader and moral compass, Sinhelped rally multitudes in the massive 'people power' revolts that ousted two presidents,

including dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

Cardinal Tagle waits for the start of a vespers celebration inSt. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican yesterday

Sin's death left a vacuum in the church saddled with the task of shepherding Catholics ina country plagued by poverty, divisions, crimes and long-raging Muslim and Marxist insur-gencies.

Unlike Sin, Tagle was not propelled by any extraordinary events. But people who knowhim say that Tagle slowly carved a reputation for simple, day-to-day acts that defined himas a man of deep faith and intellect.

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 The younger of two children of a pious Catholic couple who worked in a bank, Tagledreamed of becoming a doctor.But he was redirected by a Jesuit friend to the priesthood at a seminary in the upscale Ateneo de Manila University, where he graduated summa cum laude, according to histheology professor, the Rev. Catalino Arevalo.He's gifted with great communications skills. A wonderful storyteller with a bent for music,

Tagle speaks fluent Italian, English and Tagalog. He also has proficient French and cansay Mass in Latin.But he prefers to stay in the background.'He's not somebody who sort of wants to, by personality, put himself at the center of thestage,' Arevalo said. 'Now, if he's called to be in front, he has all the capability of doing it.'Tagle took clear positions on church and social issues but was never confrontational or'super militant,' Arevalo said.For instance, he encouraged dialogue when he helped lead an unsuccessful church cam-paign against the government-endorsed health plan that promotes contraceptives.Tagle was ordained in 1982 and became bishop in 2001 at an old cathedral, about ablock from his family's home in Imus just south of Manila.

 Aside from his church work, he taught theology in a hilltop seminary, where he lived forabout two decades, staying in a room that had no television or air-conditioning, accordingto seminary staffers.Even as a bishop, Tagle did not own a car. He took the bus or 'jeepney,' the popularworking-class minibus, to church and elsewhere. He ate with workers and sang for achurch charity, impressing many with his baritone voice.Tagle stood out for his powerful homilies. A few years ago, he started hosting a Sundaygospel show on TV, where he preached and answered questions. Staffers then opened aFacebook page for him, which has jumped to more than 120,000 followers.Tagle's path at some point crossed with the future pope, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,who introduced him to John Paul II and reportedly assured the pontiff in jest that the Fili-pino with a youthful face has received his first communion.Ratzinger appointed Tagle as a member of the Vatican's International Theological Com-mission, or ITC, and was impressed with his research work and papers. 'I am sure that itwas because of what he saw in him at the ITC that Pope Benedict chose him for Manilaand then for the red hat' of a cardinal, said the Rev. Joseph Komonchak, one of Tagle'sinstructors at Catholic University of America.In October 2011, Benedict declared Tagle the new archbishop of Manila, then just a yearlater, elevated him to cardinal. Tagle tearfully acknowledged in a recent homily in Imusthat he was overwhelmed by his rapid rise. 'It's unnerving,' he said.Larger audiences have turned up to listen to his talks and homilies, where he often raised

the need for the Catholic Church to reconnect with people. Almost always, Tagle ismobbed like a movie star by fans jostling to get his picture.'I think many of the cardinals will say, `It's too much, too soon,'' the professor Arevalo saidof Tagle's chances in the conclave. But he added: 'We don't know what God wants. IfGod wants it, God will make up for it.'