Pope Francis has appointed Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle as a member of the Congregation for the Eastern Churchesm another key Vatican body that supports churches throughout the world.
Tagle appointment was bared by he Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news website, The Vatican body also assists the Latin-rite Catholic dioceses in the Middle East.
The Congregation has Cardinal Leonardo Sandri as its prefect since 2014. Tagle is currently the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (Propaganda Fide), which oversees the church’s vast “mission territories.”
Previously called as the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, the Congregation for the Eastern Churches started as part of the Propaganda Fide which was established by Pope Pius IX in 1862.
In 1917, Pope Benedict XV declared it independent and named it Congregation for Eastern Churches. Currently, it works with about 23 Eastern Catholic churches and communities.