POPE Francis has given former Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle another position — as member of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), popularly known as the Vatican Central Bank.

APSA, which operates like a central bank or a treasury, oversees the Holy See’s assets, which include real estate holdings and other sovereign assets. The office also administers payroll and operating expenses for Vatican City.

The office is currently headed by Italian Bishop Nunzio Galantino. Also appointed to the body as member is Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

Pope Francis has recently brought under the control of APSA the financial investments and real estate holdings owned by the Secretariat of State — the central administration of the Vatican.

This is Tagle’s fourth position since he relinquished his post as archbishop of Manila after the Pope in December 2019 named the Filipino prelate as Rome’s new Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, a powerful Vatican office overseeing the church’s vast mission territories.

In May 2020, the pontiff elevated Tagle to the order of “cardinal bishops,” the highest rank within the College of Cardinals.

It is from the ranks of cardinal bishops that the Dean of Cardinals is elected. The dean presides at the conclave in case of “sede vacante,” a period when there is no pope.

In July 2020, Tagle was also named member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

At present, Tagle is serving his second and last term as president of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of Catholic charities around the world.