• Cardinal Tagle is in the running to be the next pope
  • He faced criticism for ‘heresey’ for singing John Lennon’s Imagine
  • It become a viral meme for his performance that might have inspired Gal Gadot
Cardinal Tagle is in the running to be the next pope
Cardinal Tagle is in the running to be the next pope Credit: IMAGO

Cardinal Tagle is in the running to be the next pope, but did you know that his viral performance might have inspired actress Gal Gadot?

In 2019, he gave a rendition of John Lennon’s hit song Imagine, something that the Wonder Woman star would do amid the on-set of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inspired by footage of people singing in Italy, the actress recruited several of her famous pals, . These included stars like Jamie Dornan, Sarah Silverman and Cara Delevingne.

Read more: Conclave movie being used to help select new pope

Many people criticised Gadot and her virtual celeb choir, attracting mass ire for being out of touch. Many felt that the spread of the coronavirus was not equal, as it disproportionally impacted lower-income people. While everyone was separated from loved ones, those not rich and famous were also worse off materially.

Why did Cardinal Tagle get backlash for his Imagine performance?

Much of the ire came from the super conservative wing of the Catholic church.

Some critics argued that he – whose full name is Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle – should be prohibited from singing the song because of how the song asks for a world without religion.

One of these included LifeSite News on social media, which asked its readers to weigh in on the nearly six-year story.

The song’s lyrics directly contradict Catholic doctrine (“No hell below us… no religion too”). Is this scandal or scandalous ignorance?,” they posted on X.

What did others say?

Well, other pockets of the internet were charmed by Cardinal Tagle’s pipes!

“Cardinal tagle singing imagine,, may god grant us a pope who sings,” someone wrote.

Others found it very funny, the thought of a pope doing karaoke.