|
The College of Cardinals (or Cardinalate) is the body of all cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church.
A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory.1 It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor.2 The college has no ruling power except during the sede vacante (papal vacancy) period, and even then its powers are extremely limited by the terms of the current law, which is laid down in the Apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis.
Historically, cardinals were the clergy of the city of Rome, serving the Bishop of Rome as the Pope, who had clerical duties in parishes of the city. The College has its origins in the events surrounding the crowning of Henry IV as King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor at the age of six, after the unexpected death of Henry III in 1056. Up until this point secular authorities had significant influence over who was to be appointed Pope, and the Holy Roman Emperor in particular had the special ability to appoint him. This was significant as the aims and views of the Holy Roman Emperor and the Church did not always coincide. Members of what was to become known as the Gregorian Reform took advantage of the new King and his lack of power, and in 1059 declared that the election of the Pope was an affair only for the Church. This was part of a larger power struggle, named the Investiture Controversy, as the Church attempted to gain more control over their clergy, and in doing so gain more influence in the lands and governments they were appointed to. Theological implications aside, its creation represented a significant shift in the balance of power in the Early Medieval world. From the beginning of the 12th century, the College of Cardinals started to meet as a college, when the cardinal bishops, cardinal priests, and cardinal deacons ceased acting as separate groups.3
The Dean of the College of Cardinals and the Sub-Dean are the president and vice-president of the college. Both are elected by and from the cardinals holding suburbicarian dioceses, but the election requires Papal confirmation. Except for presiding, the dean has no power of governance over the cardinals, instead acting as primus inter pares (first among equals).
The Secretary of State, the prefects of the Congregations of the Roman Curia, the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, the Vicar General of Rome, and the Patriarchs of Venice and Lisbon, are usually Cardinals, with few, generally temporary, exceptions. The Fundamental Law of Vatican City State requires that appointments to the state's legislative body, the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, be cardinals.4
Choosing the Pope
Italian cardinals as percentage
of total College of Cardinals (1903-2005)
| 2005 |
17.09 |
| October 1978 |
22.50 |
| August 1978 |
22.80 |
| 1963 |
35.36 |
| 1958 |
35.80 |
| 1939 |
54.80 |
| 1922 |
51.60 |
| 1914 |
50.76 |
| 1903 |
56.25 |
Since 1 January 1971, cardinals who have reached the age of 80 before the conclave opens have not had a vote in papal elections, under the terms of Pope Paul VI's motu proprio Ingravescentem Aetatem.
The rules for the election of the Roman Pontiff are stated in Universi Dominici Gregis, published by Pope John Paul II on 22 February 1996. It states that cardinals who have reached the age of 80 before the day the see becomes vacant do not have a vote in the Papal election.2
Although the rules of the Conclave explicitly say the Pope need not be chosen from among the ranks of the Cardinals (in theory any unmarried Catholic male may be elected Pope), this has been the consistent practice since the election of Pope Urban VI in 1378.
Members of the College of Cardinals
The following is the list of all living Cardinals as of 28 January 2010. Cardinals are shown in order of precedence, based on seniority by date of appointment. Eugênio de Araújo Sales is the most senior member of the College by length of service (the Protopriest); he is the last surviving from the 1969 consistory. Angelo Sodano, however, has the highest precedence as a Cardinal Bishop as dean of the College of Cardinals.
Cardinals who have reached the age of 80 are indicated with an asterisk (*). Adam Joseph Maida will be the next cardinal to lose his right to participate in the conclave on 18 March 2010. The oldest living cardinal is currently Paul Augustin Mayer.
All but thirteen of the Cardinals alive at the death of Pope John Paul II were appointed by him. Three of those thirteen were under 80 years old as of the day of John Paul II's death. One of those three (Joseph Ratzinger) has since been elected Pope as Benedict XVI, another one (Jaime Sin) did not attend the resulting conclave for health reasons and died shortly afterwards, and the third, William Wakefield Baum, turned 80 on 21 November 2006. There are now a total of 182 cardinals, of whom 111 are aged under 80.
There are three ranks of Cardinals: Cardinal Bishops, Cardinal Priests, and Cardinal Deacons. Almost all Cardinals are also bishops.
Cardinals of the Order of Bishops
Titular Bishops of seven suburbicarian sees
- Angelo Sodano* (Italy) - born 23 November 1927 - Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Secretary of State Emeritus, Cardinal 28 June 1991, Cardinal Bishop of Albano since January 1994, Dean of the College (and therefore also Cardinal Bishop of Ostia) since April 2005
- Roger Etchegaray* (France) - born 25 September 1922 - Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal 30 June 1979, Cardinal Bishop of Porto-Santa Rufina since June 1998
- Giovanni Battista Re (Italy) - born 30 January 1934 - Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, Cardinal 21 February 2001, Cardinal Bishop of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto since October 2002
- Francis Arinze (Nigeria) - born 1 November 1932 - Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal 25 May 1985, Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni since April 2005
- Tarcisio Bertone (Italy) - born 2 December 1934 - Cardinal Secretary of State and Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, Cardinal 21 October 2003, Cardinal Bishop of Frascati since May 2008
- José Saraiva Martins (Portugal) - born 6 January 1932 - Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal 21 February 2001, Cardinal Bishop of Palestrina since February 2009
Patriarchs of Oriental Rites
Cardinals of the Order of Priests
Consistory of 28 April 1969
Consistory of 5 March 1973
Consistory of 24 May 1976
Consistory of 30 June 1979
Consistory of 2 February 1983
Consistory of 25 May 1985
Consistory of 28 June 1988
Consistory of 28 June 1991
Consistory of 26 November 1994
Consistory of 21 February 1998
Consistory of 21 February 2001
Consistory of 21 October 20035
Consistory of 24 March 2006
Consistory of 24 November 2007
Cardinals of the Order of Deacons
Cardinal Deacons have the right to apply to become Cardinal Priests after ten years as Cardinal Deacons, with the rare exception of Cardinals who are not Bishops. All living former Cardinal Deacons created prior to 2001 have exercised this right.
Consistory of 21 February 2001
Consistory of 21 October 20035
Consistory of 24 March 2006
Consistory of 24 November 2007
Size of the College of Cardinals
See also
Notes
External links
|
