Manila: An official of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is calling on the public to refrain from publicly promoting Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle to be the next head of the Roman Catholic Church following Pope Francis' death. According to Philippines News Agency, Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the CBCP - Episcopal Commission on Public Affairs, stated that the decision regarding the next pope is in the hands of the cardinal-electors during the upcoming conclave. Secillano emphasized the importance of allowing these electors to make their choice independently, without external influence or pressure. 'We leave it to the cardinal-electors to decide who will succeed Pope Francis. It's not prudent for the people to publicly push for Cardinal Tagle as the next pope since it may be misconstrued that the conclave can be influenced by outside forces if and when Cardinal Tagle indeed becomes the next pontiff,' Secillano conveyed in a message to Church-run Radyo Veritas. He furthe r highlighted the need for the cardinal-electors to have the freedom to choose the successor of Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88 due to a stroke and irreversible heart failure. 'The independence of the electors should be respected, and the least that we can do is to pray for Cardinal Tagle and the rest of the cardinal-electors,' he added. The conclave, a sacred assembly of cardinals, is responsible for electing a new pope when the previous one dies or resigns. It comprises cardinal-electors who are under 80 years old at the time of the pope's death. Currently, there are 135 cardinal-electors within the Church, including three Philippine cardinals: Cardinal Tagle, former archbishop of Manila; Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David, president of the CBCP; and Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula. As the Catholic Church mourns the loss of Pope Francis, preparations for the conclave are underway, with cardinals expected to convene soon to decide on the event's date. In the meantime, D agupan-Lingayen Archbishop Socrates Villegas shared memories of Pope Francis, highlighting the late pope's encouragement amid challenges. Villegas, who faced threats and ridicule for his opposition to extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration, recounted how Pope Francis urged him to continue his pastoral duties. Villegas, known for his outspoken stance as CBCP president in 2017 and Dagupan-Lingayen archbishop, issued several statements condemning extrajudicial killings. In one pastoral letter, he called for churches to ring their bells for 40 nights in protest. "The relentless and bloody campaign against drugs that shows no sign of abating impels us, your bishops, to declare: In the name of God, stop the killings!" Villegas wrote, drawing criticism from Philippine National Police Chief and now Senator Ronald 'Bato' Dela Rosa, who dismissed the bishops' position.