He was made a Cardinal by Pope Paul VI in the Consistory of 5 March 1973, of the Title of St. Onofrio (St.
[2] Taofinuʻu was born on December 8, 1923, in Falealupo on Savaiʻi island's west coast and attended the village catechism school before entering Moamoa Theological College.
He remained in Rome for three months, taking advantage of his time overseas to visit the Holy Land.
During his time as Bishop of Apia, Catholic schools increased as he put an important focus on education throughout his diocese.
As bishop, Taofinuʻu was active in leading the reforms within the Catholic Church in Samoa in which some aspects of Samoan culture were blended with the existing practices.
During his episcopate, a new hymnal incorporating old and new hymns for the liturgy was also prepared and published for use through the ecclesiastical province of Samoa-Apia.