The Rise of the Red Pope

A harbinger of things to come?

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle

Earlier this month, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, an outspoken critic of Pope Francis, was summarily excommunicated from the Catholic Church. Viganò has called on Pope Francis to resign over 2018 allegations that the pope had willfully ignored sexual misconduct in the church. Viganò has also described the Second Vatican Council as an "ideological, theological, moral, and liturgical cancer". He has publicly described Pope Francis as a "false prophet" and "servant of Satan” while particularly criticizing the church’s position on blessing gay unions.

Not surprisingly, the Vatican released a statement explaining that Viganò’s public declarations “had manifested his refusal to recognize and submit to the Supreme Pontiff”.

Viganò had been a thorn in the Vatican’s side for years…

But, why wait until now to excommunicate him?

Could it be that Archbishop Viganò has stepped on the toes of the Red Pope?

Cardinal Luis Antonio “Chito” Tagle is head of the Congregation for the Evangelization, one of the top posts in the Roman Curia (the Vatican’s governing body). The position is so important that its leader is known as the Papa Rosso or the Red Pope… the likely successor to Pope Francis.

As the Red Pope, Tagle is the Roman Curia’s Prefect of Propaganda. In The Tablet, Christopher Lamb wrote, “The department is something of an empire. As the Red Pope, Tagle will have the power to appoint bishops… in other words, to fundamentally change the Catholic Church.”

It is doubtful Viganò’s dismissal was carried out without Cardinal Tagle’s full knowledge and consent…

The 67-year-old Tagle is well known for his desire to soften the church’s language regarding LGBTQ individuals. He is an energetic, tech-savvy cardinal with a

massive social media following. He is so popular in his home country of the Philippines that he’s known as the “Asian Francis”. Tagle’s rockstar status is not limited to the Philippines and social media but is also found among the College of Cardinals… a strong sign that he would be elected the next pope after Francis.

In 2017, Tagle was heavily criticized by conservative members of the church when he launched the Lazarus Project (not to be confused with the British TV show) … a video that showed the reaction of people to five characters in church: an escort, a gay couple, a homeless man, and a transgender attending Mass. Michael Hichborn, founder of the U.S.-based Lepanto Institute, wrote “The video is pure propaganda for the embrace of practicing homosexuals and transgenders as being in full communion with the body of the faithful.”

Of course, practicing homosexuals should be welcomed… but as sinners who need Christ and not in acceptance of an unrepentant lifestyle. They must hear and heed the message of the Gospel and one’s need for confession and repentance. Sadly, Tagle has repeatedly chided the Catholic Church for using “too many harsh words” to describe homosexuals. God calls us to confess our sins and repent of them, not to minimize or lovingly approve of the sins of others.

Tagle isn’t as much a religious leader as he is a political leader. He warns against nationalism and populism while pushing an open-border globalist model of fake democracy. At the same time, he is critical of right-wing leaders who want to close their borders to protect the uniqueness of their countries.

Cardinal Tagle is now the top contender to become the next pope. Some Vatican watchers view Tagle’s rapid rise in the church’s ranks as Francis’ whole-hearted endorsement of Cardinal Tagle as his successor.

Where he would lead the Catholic Church remains to be seen…

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