Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has recovered from the coronavirus, the Pontificio Collegio Filippino in Rome said on Wednesday, reported CBCP News.
The cardinal’s recovery came 13 days after he contracted the disease. He remained asymptomatic while he underwent strict isolation.
Fr. Gregory Gaston, PCF Rector, said Tagle’s recovery “is indeed a great joy for the whole Church”.
“God wants him to continue serving in the Vatican’s office for the Missions, to bring God’s Good News of love, joy, peace, justice, forgiveness, and reconciliation — all of which the world needs in a special way these days,” Gaston said.
“The Collegio Filippino in Rome has witnessed his hard work, dedication, and prayers,” he said. “We wish him all the best in his short visit to the Philippines, to rest a bit, and be with his family back home.”
Tagle, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and president of Caritas Internationalis, tested positive from Covid-19 upon his arrival in Manila from Rome on Sept. 10.
Before leaving Rome, the former Manila archbishop had undergone a Covid-19 test on Sept. 7, which turned out to be negative.
As a precautionary measure, the more than 30 priests and staff at PCF, where Tagle has been residing since he came to Rome in February, went into quarantine. They also underwent swab tests for Covid-19 and all of them tested negative.
Cardinal Tagle was the first Roman curia dicastery head to have contracted the virus.
In the Philippines, at least four bishops got infected with Covid-19, two of them already passed away: retired Bishop Manuel Sobreviñas of Imus and retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz of Lingayen-Dagupan.
Meanwhile, Bishop Broderick Pabillo of Manila and retired Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez have fully recovered.
