Before the world even knew the name of the new pope, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle had already performed what he jokingly called his “first act of charity,” handing a piece of candy to Cardinal Robert Prevost during the conclave.

Prevost chose the name Pope Leo XIV after being elected as the new pontiff on May 8.

Tagle shared the lighthearted moment during a post-conclave press conference organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Friday evening, May 9 (Philippine time).

“Lagi ako may baong candy. Eh katabi ko nga si Cardinal Prevost. Noong humihinga na siya ng malalim, sabi ko, ‘Gusto mo ng candy?’ Sabi niya, ‘Sige bigyan mo ko ng isa.’ Sabi ko, ‘Yan ha. ‘Yan ang unang act of charity ko sa bagong santo papa’ (I always carry candy with me. I was seated next to Cardinal Prevost. When I noticed he was taking deep breaths, I asked him, ‘Do you want some candy?’ He said, ‘Sure, give me one.’ So I told him, ‘There you go. That’s my first act of charity to the new Holy Father),” he said.

Tagle’s tradition of carrying candy began during the conclave in 2013 and has continued ever since.

That year, he was playfully teased by a Colombian cardinal for unwrapping sweets in the Sistine Chapel. But that same cardinal ended up asking for one, too.

“In Italian, sabi niya, ‘Ano raw ang dinala ko sa Sistine Chapel?’ Sabi ko ‘Candy, caramel.’ Sabi niya, ‘This little boy, bringing candies in the Sistine Chapel.’ Eh sabi ko, ‘Ang haba-haba ng ano [sessions], minsan nagugutom ako.’ Tapos sabi niya, ‘Meron ka pa bang isa? Bigyan mo nga ako’ (He asked in Italian, ‘What did you bring into the Sistine Chapel?’ I said, ‘Candy, caramel.’ He replied, ‘This little boy, bringing candies into the Sistine Chapel.’ I told him, ‘The sessions are so long, sometimes I get hungry.’ Then he asked, ‘Do you have another one? Give me one too’),” Tagle recalled with a chuckle.

For Tagle, it is not just about the candy, but about presence, kindness, and lightness in a room often filled with pressure.

“You have to show, lalo na sa kanya [Pope Leo], ‘yung humanity ba? Imagine mo siya, ‘yung bigat ng responsibility niya, ‘yung mga little acts of kindness, of humanity, I think can sustain a person called by God (You have to show, especially to Pope Leo, that humanity, right? Imagine him, the weight of his responsibility. I believe it is the small acts of kindness, of humanity, that can truly sustain a person called by God),” he said.