Mar 18, 2006 7:08 am US/Eastern
Becoming A Cardinal: What Does It Mean?
(CBS4)
On Friday, Archbishop Sean O'Malley will be elevated to the title of cardinal. But what does it mean to become a cardinal in the Catholic Church?
The primary duty of a Cardinal is to elect a new pope, in the event of the pontiff's death. In recent history, cardinals have also become advisors to the pope in matters of the church.
"Princes Of The Church"Cardinals are known as the "Princes of the Church," and are appointed by the pope. They are elevated during a gathering in the Vatican called a consistory.
About three-quarters of cardinals are heads of the world's largest archdioceses. The rest are the heads of the Roman Curia, or congregations of the Vatican. These cardinals are almost like cabinet secretaries, overseeing the "departments" of the Catholic Church.
Titular Heads Of Roman ChurchIn addition to the role of electing a pope and their advisory roles, every cardinal is also assigned to be the "titular" head of a church of Rome. They become that parish's priest, though in title only.
Since 1958, the cardinal of the Boston Archdiocese has been titular head of Santa Susanna in Rome. That title, however, is still held by Bernard Cardinal Law. Although Law resigned from the Boston Archdiocese he is still a cardinal, now assigned in the Vatican. It is unclear which church Archbishop O'Malley will be named to.
Cardinal Age LimitsA church law in 1975 set an age limit to the cardinals who can vote for a new pope, and set a limit to the number of voting cardinals. Ever since, a cardinal who reaches the age of 80 can not take part in the conclave that chooses a new pope. The number of electors was limited to 120.
Currently, there are 179 Cardinals, 109 of which are under the age of 80. After the March 24th ceremony, there will be 194 cardinals, 120 of which will be under the age of 80, and therefore eligible to vote for a new pope. (One cardinal who is currently eligible for conclave turns 80 on March 24).
With his first round of cardinal appointments, Pope Benedict XVI is adhering to the limits put in place in 1975. His predecessor, Pope John Paul II actually ignored this limitation in his final two consistories. Most recently, in 2003, there were 137 cardinals under the age of 80.
Boston's TraditionEvery archbishop in the Boston archdiocese since 1911 has been elevated to Cardinal: William Henry O'Connell in 1911; Richard James Cushing in 1958; Humberto Sousa Medeiros in 1973; and Bernard Francis Law in 1985.
Unlike the titles of bishop and archbishop, the cardinal title is inserted in the middle of a man's name. Archbishop Sean Patrick O'Malley will become Sean Patrick Cardinal O'Malley. Cardinals are properly referred to as Your Eminence, or His Eminence. With the informal nature of Archbishop O'Malley, who prefers to be called "Archbishop Sean," it is unclear what he will actually want to be called.
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Current College Of Cardinals
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