Tagle elected dean of the College of Cardinals

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle was elected dean of the College of Cardinals, succeeding Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re after Pope Leo XIV approved the election. The Vatican said Tagle was chosen by the cardinal bishops on October 8 and announced the result the following day. Tagle is the first Asian cleric to hold the post, according to the supplied reporting. The dean is elected by the college’s cardinal bishops and serves a five-year term that may be renewed once. The position was changed from a lifetime appointment under a 2019 reform by Pope Francis. Re, 92, had served as dean since January 2020 and is now dean emeritus. As dean, Tagle is responsible for convening cardinals and leading general congregations, the meetings held in preparation for a conclave. The dean also asks a newly elected pope whether he accepts the election and what papal name he will use. The dean presides over a conclave only if eligible by age; cardinals over 80 cannot vote in one. Re led the general congregations before the conclave that elected Leo in May 2025, but Cardinal Pietro Parolin presided over the conclave itself because Re was over 80.