Tagle awarded with France’s highest honor

MANILA, Philippines — The French government has conferred its highest honor on Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle.

The senior Filipino clergyman was awarded with the Legion of Honor, France’s highest distinction established by emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, “for being a remarkable man of the Church at the service of the common good,” according to the news service of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Tagle, currently the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization at the Vatican, and previously bishop of Imus in Cavite and archbishop of Manila, was given the rank of “officer” under the said honor.

French Ambassador to Vatican Florence Mangin, who presented the award to Tagle last Thursday, commended his “intellectual and pastoral journeys,” the CBCP said.

“But more than that, your career has been marked by a concern for the poorest people, particularly during his pastoral mission while he was in the Philippines,” she added.

The French government recognized Tagle’s “programs for victims of violence and drug addiction, as well as his commitment to migrants and victims of natural disasters,” according to the envoy.

“It is this journey, these commitments of yours, these qualities of soul and heart that the French Republic wishes to salute and honor by elevating you to the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor,” Mangin said.

Tagle thanked the French government for the accolade, which he accepted “in the name of the countless men and women who have served and continue to serve the evangelizing mission of the Church.”

“This recognition impels us to consistently and joyfully share Jesus and His gospel to all peoples through word, prayer and the service of charity and human development,” he said.

The Filipino prelate also recalled his work with Anak Foundation’s Tulay ng Kabataan while he was Manila archbishop, and thanked French volunteers and benefactors led by Fr. Matthieu Dauchez for their help.

Present during the awarding rites were foreign dignitaries, as well as Philippine Ambassador to the Vatican Myla Grace Macahilig and Fr. Gregory Ramon Gaston, rector of the Pontificio Collegio Filippino, according to the CBCP.