Following the election of Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Filipinos who considered him one of the “papabile.”

“Maraming salamat sa nagtiwala sa amin. Ewan ko kung anong nakita niyo sa amin at inisip niyo na pwede kaming maging papa. Ako kapag tinitignan ko ang sarili ko parang hindi ko maisip ‘yun eh. Pero kung merong nakakaisip ng ganun eh di maraming salamat (Thank you very much to those who trusted us. I don’t know what you saw in us that made you think we could become pope. When I look at myself, I find it hard to imagine that. But if there are those who thought that way, then thank you very much),” Tagle said during the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) post-conclave press conference on Friday evening, May 9 (Philippine time).

Tagle was joined by fellow Filipino cardinals Pablo Virgilio David and Jose Advincula, both of whom participated in the conclave at the Vatican.

They reiterated that the papal election process is not a political race, but a deeply spiritual discernment guided by prayer and the Holy Spirit.

“Ito rin ay isang parang spiritual learning sa atin na when it comes to the ministry in the church ang criteria, ang approach ay hindi katulad ng nangyayari sa mundo. ‘Yung pag sinabing we rely on the Holy Spirit, ang pag [discern] ay through prayer. Disiplinado dapat kaming lahat na hindi isipin o magpadala na kandidato ako (This is also a spiritual lesson for us, reminding us that in the ministry of the Church, the criteria and approach are different from those in the world. When we say we rely on the Holy Spirit, discernment comes through prayer. We must all be disciplined not to see ourselves as candidates or allow ourselves to be influenced by that mindset),” Tagle said.

David pointed out that the selection of a pope is a sacred process, distinct from political leadership.

“Ang mensahe ko ay pasasalamat. Sana makita rin natin dito sa paraan ng pagboto ng isang pinuno sa Catholic Church ang kakaibang pagpili ng mga pinuno. Of course, alam naman natin na we distinguish between religious leaders and political leaders. Kaya ko kayo inaaddress ng ganito ay dahil panahon po ng eleksyon sa ating bansa. Sana maituring nating isang sagradong pagkakataon ang paghalala ng pinuno (My message is one of gratitude. I hope we see, through the way a leader is chosen in the Catholic Church, a different kind of leadership. Of course, we know that religious leaders are different from political leaders. I say this especially now, as our country is in the middile of election season. May we treat the selection of leaders as a sacred moment),” he said.

Advincula also emphasized the immense responsibility of the newly elected pope and called on Filipinos to continue praying for Pope Leo XIV as he begins his pastoral ministry.

“Nagpapasalamat tayo sa Panginoon sa pagbigay sa atin sa kanyang handog na bagong Santo Papa in the person of Pope Leo XIV. We all know na although being a Pope is an honor pero this is also a great responsibility. Kailangang-kailangan ng ating Santo papa ang ating dasal, ang pag-offer natin para sa kanya sa kanyang pastoral ministry ng kung anumang mga sakripisyo na magagawa natin (We should thank the Lord for the gift He has given us in our new pope, Pope Leo XIV. We all know that while being pope is an honor, it is also a great responsibility. Our Holy Father needs our prayers and the offerings of any sacrifices we can make for his pastoral ministry,” he said.

The cardinals urged Catholics to continue supporting Pope Leo XIV, not only in the early days of his papacy, but throughout his entire service to the Church.