Cardinal (Catholicism) Totally Explained

Everything about Cardinal Catholicism totally explained

A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually a bishop, of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and making themselves available individually or collectively to the pope if he requests their counsel. Most cardinals have additional duties, such as leading a diocese or archdiocese or running a department of the Roman Curia.
A cardinal's other main function is electing the pope, whenever by death or resignation, the seat becomes vacant. In 1059 the right of electing the Pope was reserved to the principal clergy of Rome and the bishops of the seven suburbicarian sees. During the sede vacante, the period between a pope's death and the election of his successor, the day-to-day governance of the Church as a whole is in the hands of the College of Cardinals. The right to enter the conclave of cardinals who elect the pope is now limited to those not over 80 years old on the day of the pope's death or abdication.
The term "cardinal" at one time applied to any priest permanently assigned or incardinated to a church, or specifically to the senior priest of an important church, based on the Latin cardo (hinge), meaning "principal" or "chief". The term was applied in this sense as early as the ninth century to the priests of the tituli (parishes) of the diocese of Rome. Chicago, Dublin, New York, St Andrews and Edinburgh, Toronto, and Washington.) However, the form that places the title before the first name, for example, "Cardinal John Doe", in line with usages concerning other figures, both lay and religious (such as "Pope Benedict XVI", "President George W. Bush", "Archbishop John Smith"), is the usual form on the Vatican website and in the media; some dioceses, such as the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the Diocese of Westminster and the Archdiocese of Wellington, opt for this style. Some archdioceses, such as the Archdiocese of Sydney, use the two forms interchangeably. Accordingly, the full style of Cardinal McCarrick is either "His Eminence, Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington," or "His Eminence, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington." Ultimately, it's a matter of personal preference which form one chooses to use, as both forms are now generally recognized. When the name of the new pope is announced to people of Rome the cardinal protodeacon says: Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum,(first name of the elected pope ) then Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ Cardinalem (last name ).

Cardinal Bishop

Cardinal Bishops, or Cardinals of the Episcopal Order, are among the most senior prelates of the Catholic Church. Since, normally, all cardinals are also bishops, the title of Cardinal Bishop only means that the cardinal in question holds the title of one of the "suburbicarian" sees — they include the Dean of the College of Cardinals — or is a patriarch of an Eastern Catholic church.
   The Cardinal Bishops are the only order of Cardinals who have always been required to be bishops, and in former times when a Cardinal of one of the lower orders became a Cardinal Bishop, and so the head of a diocese, he was consecrated a bishop. Since 1962 all cardinals have been bishops with rare exceptions, and those cardinals exceptionally allowed to decline episcopal consecration obviously can't head a suburbicarian see as a Cardinal Bishop.
   The Dean, the head (as primus inter pares) of the College of Cardinals, is elected by the Cardinal Bishops holding suburbicarian sees from among their own number, an election, however, that must be approved by the Pope. Formerly the position of Dean belonged to the longest-serving of the Cardinal Bishops, all six of whom then headed a suburbicarian see. Though these sees are seven, there were only six Cardinal Bishops, since the Dean always adds the title of Ostia to his original suburbicarian diocese.
   In early times the privilege of papal election wasn't reserved to the cardinals, and for centuries the Pope was customarily a Roman priest and never a bishop from elsewhere; to preserve apostolic succession the rite of consecrating the Pope as a bishop had to be performed by someone who was already a bishop. The rule remains that, if the person elected Pope isn't yet a bishop, he's consecrated by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, the Cardinal Bishop of Ostia.
   Currently the Cardinal-Bishops of the suburbicarian diocese are:

Angelo Sodano, Cardinal Bishop of Ostia and Albano, Dean of the College of Cardinals, former Cardinal Secretary of State
Roger Etchegaray, Cardinal Bishop of Porto-Santa Rufina, Vice-Dean, President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace;
Giovanni Battista Re, Cardinal Bishop of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops;
Francis Arinze, Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, widely regarded as the most Papabile African.
Tarcisio Bertone, Cardinal Bishop of Frascati, Cardinal Secretary of State and Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church

Since the death of Bernardin Gantin on May 13, 2008, the suburbicarian diocese of Palestrina is vacant.
For a period ending in the mid-20th century, long-serving Cardinal Priests were entitled to fill vacancies that arose among the Cardinal Bishops, just as Cardinal Deacons of ten years' standing are still entitled to become Cardinal Priests. Since then, Cardinals have been advanced to Cardinal Bishop (except for the Eastern Rite Patriarchs, no one ever joins the College of Cardinals as a Cardinal Bishop) exclusively by Papal appointment. Only leading figures close to the Pope can expect to be appointed.
In 1965 Pope Paul VI decreed in his motu proprio Ad Purpuratorum Patrum that patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches who were named Cardinals would also be part of the episcopal order, ranked after the six Cardinal Bishops of the suburbicarian sees (who had been relieved of direct responsibilities for those sees by Pope John XXIII three years earlier). Not holding a suburbicarian see, they can't elect the dean nor become dean. The four Eastern patriarchs who are now Cardinal Bishops are the following:

Ignace Daoud, Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, Patriarch Emeritus of Antioch for the Syrians

Stéphanos II Ghattas, C.M., Coptic Catholic Patriarch Emeritus of Alexandria;

Nasrallah Sfeir, Patriarch of Antioch for the Maronites;

Emmanuel III Delly, Patriarch of Babylon for the Chaldeans. The Latin Rite Patriarchs of Lisbon and Venice, while in practice always made Cardinals at the consistory after they take possession of their sees, are made Cardinal Priests, not Cardinal Bishops. Although the incumbents of such prestigious sees are usually created cardinal, no see carries an actual right to the cardinalate. In matters of precedence, membership in the college outranks any title conferred by an office, other than the see of Rome.

Cardinal Priest

Cardinal Priests are the most numerous of the three orders of Cardinals in the Catholic Church. They formally rank above the Cardinal Deacons and below the Cardinal Bishops though this isn't a matter of exercise of authority. Those who are named Cardinal Priests today are generally archbishops of important dioceses throughout the world, though some hold Curial positions.
   In modern times the name "Cardinal Priest" is interpreted as meaning a Cardinal who is of the order of priests. Originally, however, the understanding of which word modified the other was the opposite: of the priests of the Diocese of Rome, certain key priests of important churches were recognized as the cardinal priests, the important priests chosen by the Pope to advise him in his duties as Bishop of Rome (the Latin cardo means "hinge," and the term was used in the same way that "key" is used in English today: certain clerics in many dioceses at the time, not just that of Rome, were said to be the "key" personnel, or, in Latin, the "hinges," cardinals — the term gradually became exclusive to Rome to indicate those entrusted with electing the Bishop of Rome, the Pope).
   All cardinals are given "titles", though they may be bishops or archbishops elsewhere. While the cardinalate has long been expanded beyond the Roman pastoral clergy and Roman Curia, to this day every Cardinal Priest has nominal title to a parish church in Rome, just as Cardinal Bishops are given the honorary title of one of the suburban dioceses around Rome. A cardinal priest has no functional relationship to the parish's operations, though his name and coat of arms are still posted in the church. Pope Paul VI abolished all administrative rights cardinals had with regard to their titular churches.
   While the number of Cardinals was small from the times of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance, and frequently smaller than the number of recognized churches entitled to a Cardinal Priest, in the 16th century the College expanded markedly. In 1587 Pope Sixtus V sought to arrest this growth by fixing the maximum size of the College at 70, including 50 Cardinal Priests, about twice the historical number. This limit was respected until 1958, and the list of titular churches modified only on rare occasions, generally due to a building falling into disrepair. When Pope John XXIII abolished the limit, he began to add new churches to the list, which Popes Paul VI and John Paul II continued to do. Today there are close to 150 titular churches, out of over 300 churches in Rome.
   The Cardinal who is the longest-serving member of the order of Cardinal Priests is titled Cardinal protopriest. He had certain ceremonial duties in the conclave that have effectively ceased because he'd generally be over the age of 80, past which cardinals are barred from the conclave. Since the death of Franz König, the Cardinal Protopriest has been Stephen Kim Sou-hwan of South Korea.

Cardinal Deacon

The Cardinal Deacons are the lowest-ranked of the three orders of Cardinals of the Catholic Church. Cardinals elevated to the diaconal order are either officials of the Roman Curia or priests elevated after their eightieth birthday. Bishops with pastoral responsibilities on the other hand are created Cardinal Priests.
   Cardinal deacons derive originally from the seven deacons in the Papal Household and the seven deacons who supervised the Church's works in the districts of Rome during the early Middle Ages, when the Church administration was effectively the government of Rome and provided all social services. Cardinal Deacons are given title to one of these deaconries. There were traditionally 14 Cardinal Deacons, but this number has been expanded in recent years.
   Under the 1587 decree of Pope Sixtus V that fixed the maximum size of the College of Cardinals until 1958, there were fourteen diaconates, but the number has increased. As of 2005 there were over fifty recognized titular diaconates, though only thirty cardinals were of the order of Deacons. Cardinal Deacons have long enjoyed the right to "opt for the order of Cardinal Priests" (optazione) after they've been Cardinal Deacons for ten years, and after this they rank in precedence as if they'd been Cardinal Priests from when they first became Cardinals. They may on such elevation take a vacant title (church allotted as the titular dignity of a Cardinal Priest) or their existing diaconate may be elevated to title for that occasion.
   Until 1918 it was possible to become a Cardinal without entering Holy Orders, but only the order of Cardinal Deacons was open to those who were not priests. For example, in the 16th century, Reginald Pole was a cardinal for 18 years before he was ordained a priest. After 1918 it was established that all cardinals, even the Cardinal Deacons, had to be priests, and since 1962 all cardinals have been bishops with rare exceptions where permission was granted to decline episcopal consecration because of advanced age. Today, Canon 351 specifically requires that a cardinal be at least in the order of priesthood at his appointment, and those who are not already bishops must receive episcopal consecration, save by dispensation from the Pope. Most of these dispensations have involved eminent theologians who are priests, such as was granted in 2001 to Avery Dulles.
   Although he isn't a bishop, and so couldn't be assigned to one of the suburbicarian sees, he's entitled to wear the episcopal vestments and other pontificalia (episcopal regalia: mitre, crozier, pectoral cross and ring) and to possess a cardinalatial coat of arms.
   When not celebrating Mass but still serving a liturgical function, such as the bi-annual Urbi et Orbi Papal Blessing, some Papal masses and some events at Ecumenical Councils, Cardinal Deacons can be recognized by the Dalmatics they'd don with the simple white mitre.
   The Cardinal Protodeacon (that is, the senior Cardinal Deacon in order of appointment to the College of Cardinals) has the privilege of announcing a new Pope's election in the famous "Habemus Papam" announcement given from the central loggia at the Basilica of Saint Peter. The current Cardinal Protodeacon is Agostino Cacciavillan.

Protodeacons since 1911

Francesco Salesio Della Volpe (January 4, 1911 - November 5, 1916)

Gaetano Bisleti (November 5, 1916 – December 17, 1928)

Camillo Laurenti (December 17, 1928 – December 16, 1935)

Camillo Caccia-Dominioni (December 16, 1935 – November 12, 1946)

Nicola Canali (November 12, 1946 – August 3, 1961)

Alfredo Ottaviani (August 3, 1961 – June 26, 1967)

Arcadio Larraona Saralegui, CMF (June 26, 1967 – April 28, 1969)

William Heard (April 28, 1969 – May 18, 1970)

Antonio Bacci (May 18, 1970 – January 20, 1971)

Michael Browne, OP (January 20, 1971 – March 31, 1971)

Federico Callori di Vignale (March 31, 1971 – August 8, 1971)

Charles Journet (August 8, 1971 – March 5, 1973)

Pericle Felici (March 5, 1973 – June 30, 1979)

Sergio Pignedoli (June 30, 1979 – June 15, 1980)

Umberto Mozzoni (June 15, 1980 - February 2, 1983)

Opilio Rossi (2 February 1983 – 22 June 1987)

Giuseppe Caprio (22 June 1987 – 26 November 1990)

Aurelio Sabattani (26 November 1990 – 5 April 1993)

Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy (5 April 1993 – 29 January 1996)

Eduardo Martínez Somalo (29 January 1996 – 9 January 1999)

Pio Laghi (9 January 1999 – 26 February 2002)

Luigi Poggi (26 February 2002 – 24 February 2005)

Jorge Medina Estévez (24 February 2005 – 23 February 2007)

Darío Castrillón Hoyos (23 February 2007 – 1 march 2008)

Agostino Cacciavillan (1 march 2008 – present)

Lay cardinals

At various times there have been lay cardinals, for example cardinals who were not ordained clergymen. Giacomo Antonelli and Teodolfo Merkel were among the last of those. From the papacy of John XXIII, only priests may be appointed cardinal (Canon 351), and with rare exception is expected to be ordained a bishop if he isn't already a bishop.

In pectore and secret cardinals

In addition to the named cardinals, the Pope may name secret cardinals or cardinals in pectore (Latin for in the breast).

Cardinals in pectore

During the Western Schism many cardinals were created by the contending popes. Beginning with the reign of Pope Martin V,

Secret cardinals

The secret creations, instead, are different than those created and reserved in pectore. They are known to the other cardinals. Pope Martin V was the first pope who created cardinals without "publishing" them at the same time (secret creation), while it was Pope Paul III who created the first cardinals in pectore.

Vesture and privileges

Excluding the rochet, which is always white, a Latin-rite cardinal wears scarlet garments- the blood-like red symbolizes a cardinal's willingness to die for his faith. When in choir dress, including the cassock, mozzetta, zucchetto, and biretta. Until the 1460s it was customary for cardinals to wear a violet or blue cape unless granted the privilege of wearing red when acting on papal business. His normal-wear simar is black but has scarlet piping and a scarlet fascia (sash-like belt). Occasionally, a cardinal wears a scarlet ferraiolo which is a cape worn over the shoulders, tied in a bow by narrow strips of cloth in the front, without any 'trim' or piping on it. (It is because of the scarlet color of cardinals' vesture that the bird of the same name has become known as such.)
Eastern-rite Cardinals will continue to wear the normal dress appropriate to their rite, though some may line their cassocks with scarlet and wear scarlet fascias, or in some cases, wear Eastern-style cassocks entirely of scarlet (there is a unique photograph

of Joseph Cardinal Slypyj of the Ukrainian Catholic Church wearing the traditional eastern bishop's habit and a cardinal's galero).
   In previous times, at the consistory at which the pope named a new cardinal, he'd bestow upon him a distinctive wide-brimmed hat called a galero. Though this custom has been discontinued, and the investiture now takes place with the red biretta, in ecclesiastical heraldry, the scarlet galero is still displayed on the cardinal's coat of arms. Cardinals had the right to display the galero in their cathedral, and when a cardinal died, it would be suspended from the ceiling above his tomb. Some cardinals will still have a galero made, even though it isn't officially part of their apparel.
   If the cardinal isn't already a bishop, he's usually consecrated a bishop upon appointment. The designated cardinal however can petition the pope to dispense him from this requirement.
   When celebrating Mass, a cardinal wears the same vestments as a bishop, even if he hasn't been consecrated as a bishop. A cardinal deacon, on certain occasions will wear a deacon's dalmatic as well as the episcopal mitre.
   To symbolize their bond with the papacy, the pope gives the cardinals he appoints a gold ring, which is traditionally kissed by Catholics when a cardinal is greeted. The pope chooses the image on the outside: under Pope Benedict XVI it's a modern depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus, with Mary and John to each side. The ring includes the pope's coat of arms on the inside.
   Cardinals have a "privilege of forum" (for example, a right to hear cases) in matters arising directly under canon law. Only the pope is competent to judge them in cases that refer to matters that are spiritual or linked with the spiritual, or with regard to infringement of ecclesiastical laws and whatever contains an element of sin, where culpability must be determined and the appropriate ecclesiastical penalty imposed. The Pope can either pass judgement in person or delegate the decision to a body of the Holy See, such as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith or the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. All other ecclesiastical courts, even the Roman Rota, are not considered to have authority over them. This privilege, however, still leaves cardinals subject to normal civil authority.

Cardinals in popular culture

Among others, Vincent Price, Charlton Heston, and Tim Curry have played Cardinal Richelieu in adaptations of The Three Musketeers.

Orson Welles played Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in the 1966 screen adaptation of A Man for All Seasons, while Anthony Quayle played him in the 1969 film of Anne of the Thousand Days, and Sam Neill played him in the first season of The Tudors (2007).

Anthony Quinn played the fictional Cardinal Kiril Lakota in The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968).

George Carlin played the fictional Cardinal Ignatius Glick in Dogma (1999).

Jonathan Pryce played the fictional Cardinal Daniel Houseman in Stigmata (1995).

John Huston played the fictional Cardinal Glennon in The Cardinal (1963). That character isn't to be confused with the real-life John Cardinal Glennon, who was elevated to that rank by Pope Pius XII in 1946 but then died in Ireland before he could make it back to the United States.

In the comic book Warrior Nun Areala, Cardinals X, Stark, and Shoc serve as military leaders for the fictional Catholic Corps.

Richard Chamberlain played the fictional Cardinal Ralph de Bricassart in The Thorn Birds (1983).

Sam Neill portrayed Thomas Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII's trusted advisor, in the Showtime series The Tudors in its first season, until the character's deathFurther Information
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