CARDINAL (Lat. cardinalis, principal, from cardo, a hinge). Cardinals are the high est in the Roman church after the pope, whose electors and councilors tliey are. rhe title, however, had at first a more general application. The pope being the sovereign bishop over the whole Romish church, and having, as such, ninny ditties to fulfill inconsistent with those of a particular diocese, had, from very early times, a num ber of bishops, priests, and deacons whom he appointed his vicars and coadjutors for the management of the diocese of Rome. The bishops exercised the episcopal function in the pope's stead, each having a peculiar church within the diocese. The priests were titular parsons of the churches in the city of Rome, and had the cure of souls. The deacons had charge of some churches and chapels of devotion, which they held as dea conries, with the additional duty of assisting the pope when he officiated in public. These three classes of ecclesiastics were called c«rdinati or eardinales, to denote that they were the first or chief over the rest, and that all the affairs of the diocese of Rome were under their direction. At a subsequent period, the priests and deacons of other cities of importance assumed the title of C., to distinguish them from other priests and deacons over whom they claimed supremacy; but the popes subsequently ordained that none but those whom they had chosen should be honored with that title. Amongst those whom the popes thus appointed were the seven bishops andiurbicarii, who took their titles from places in the neighborhood of Rome. These bishops were called hcb damadarii, because they attended the pope for a week each iu his turn. These cardinals took part with the Iknian clergy in the election of the pope, who was generally chosen from their number. About the beginning of the 12th c., the popes having formed a regular court, began to bestow the rank of C. priest or C. deacon on any individual of the clergy, or even of the laity, whom they chose to select; and to each, whether Roman or foreign, they gave the title of some particular church in Rome, but without attaching to it any obligatory service. Thus the cardinals became a separate body elected for life, and the officiating priests of the Roman parishes were gradually deprived of the title. In 1159, Nicholas II. limited the right of election to the popedom to the cardinals thus appointed, leaving to the rest of the clergy and people of Rome merely the right of approving of the election of a new pope, and to the emperor that of confirming it. Even these prerqgatives. in course of time, were withdrawn. Notwithstanding the great powers thus intrusted to them, the bishops in the great councils of the church continued to take precedence of the cardinals; and it was not till 1614 that Louis XIII. of France, in the sitting of the parliament of Paris, adjudged precedence to the cardinals over the ecclesiastical peers—bishops and abbots. The power of the popes to appoint cardinals has often been contested, and their right to precedence denied, by the other dignified ecclesiastics. In 1567, 'pope Pius V. forbade any clergyman not appointed by the pope to assume the title of C.; and Sixtus V., in Dec., 1586, fixed
their number at 70—viz., the 6 bishops suburbicarii, 50 priests, and 14 deacons, and on this footing they have since remained, though the number is seldom complete, the pope generally leaving some vacancies for extraordinary cases. The number has frequently fallen greatly under 70. When Nicholas III. was chosen pope, there were but eight cardinals; and a little before the death of Alexander IV., there were but four. Some times before Sixtus V. the number was exceeded, as in the pontificate of Pius IV., when there were 74. The body of cardinals is styled the sacred college. Most of the cardinals reside in Rome, and either enjoy ecclesiastical benefices, or are employed in the administration. When not so provided for, the cardinals receive an allowance of 100 dollars monthly from the papal .trelasury. Solite .cardinals belong to monastic orders, and reside in their convents even after their election. The jurisdiction of the C. bishops in the place in which they are established is truly episcopal, but they are not obliged to reside. That of the C. priests and deacons is almost episcopal, but extends no further than the church and sacristy. They have there an episcopal scat under a canopy, like bishops, and they there solemnly give the people their blessing. The creation of cardinals is wholly in the pope If the new-created C. is at Rome, he goes the same day to visit the pope, who puts the red cap ou his head. The red hat, which Innocent IV. ordained that cardinals should wear, to show that they ought to expose themselves to the shedding of their blood in the cause of the church, is afterwards &iven in a public consistory. A number of symbolical ceremonies accompany this investiture. The car dinals that are absent, when chosen, have the cap sent them by a special messenger from the pope. The hat is given by the pope's own bands; and many cardinals who do not visit Rome, die without ever it. The only exception is in favor of members of royal houses, to whom the hat is sent. Pope Urban VIII., in 1630, gave to the cardinals the title of eminence, which they shared with the grand-master of the order of Malta, and the ecclesiastical electors of the German or Roman empire. The pope often employs cardinals as ambassadors, and the individual thus employed is styled legate a latcre. A C. legate acts, or recently acted, as governor of the northern provinces of the Papal states, which thence received the name of legations. The chief secretary of state, the camerlengo or minister of finances, the vicar of Rome, and other leading officials, are always chosen from among the cardinals. The council of car dinals, when assembled under the presidency of the pope to discuss matters of church and state, is called the consistorium. There are public consistories, which are held on great occasions, and correspond to the levees of other sovereigns; and private and secret consistories, which are the privy council of the pope. Moreri's Dictionary, rote Cardinal, contains a list of cardinals from 1119 to 1724, with their names, coun tries, etc., and the dates of their election and death.