INTRAMUROS, Manila — A little knowledge is truly dangerous—as in the case of Filipino Catholics openly advocating for Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle as the successor of Pope Francis.

The Argentine pontiff passed away last Monday, April 21, and subsequently, Filipinos are pushing for Tagle to succeed as God's shepherd on earth. And this is where there is an overreach as the choice of the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church will rest solely on the cardinal electors—not on "vox populi, vox dei," or the will of the people being the will of God.

The forthcoming Conclave will determine who will follow as heir to being leader of the Church which started two thousand years ago when Jesus Christ's appointed Simon Peter, known as the rock (pietro), to be the first pope.

According to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), "it is not prudent for the public to promote Cardinal Tagle as the next Pope, as this could create the impression that the Conclave might be swayed by external influences if Cardinal Tagle is elected as the next pontiff."

CBCP Episcopal Commission on Public Affairs executive secretary Reverend Father Jerome Secillano, who is also the spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Manila, emphasized the importance of the independence and freedom of the cardinal electors in their decision-making process, asserting that outside interference should not be tolerated.

“The independence of the electors must be respected, and the least we can do is pray for Cardinal Tagle and the other cardinal electors,” Fr. Secillano stressed.

Composed of cardinal electors who are under the age of 80 at the time of the Pope’s death, the conclave is a sacred assembly of Catholic cardinals convened to elect a new Pope when the previous Pope has passed away or resigned.

Currently, there are 135 cardinal electors in the Church, including three from the Philippines: Cardinal Tagle, the former Archbishop of Manila and a current member of the Roman Curia in the Vatican; Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David, who serves as the President of the CBCP; and Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula.

For the time being, the Church is dedicated to honoring the legacy of the late Pope while preparing for the crucial gathering of the cardinals to determine the date of the Conclave.