Filipino cardinal, the 'Asian Francis', is papal contender

Manila: Asia s front runner for the papacy, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines is a charismatic moderate often dubbed the Asian Francis ....

Manila: Asia's front-runner for the papacy, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines is a charismatic moderate often dubbed the "Asian Francis".

Tagle, 67, who shares with Pope Francis a history of advocating for the poor, migrants and other marginalised people, is known for his missionary spirit and pastoral focus.

Wearing glasses with a youthful air and ready smile, the cardinal nicknamed "Chito" is a popular figure among the fervently religious country's more than 90 million Catholics.

Born into a working-class family near Manila, Tagle was ordained as a priest in 1982 and became archbishop of the nation's capital in 2011, a politically influential post in one of the largest dioceses in Asia, where Catholicism is growing.

He was made cardinal by former pope Benedict XVI in 2012.