CARDINAL (Italian, Cardinale), the highest dignity in the Roman church and court next to the pope. The cardinals are the electors of the pope, and his coun cillors. The Latin word Cardinalis is used by Vitravins in his description of doors. The word is derived from the Latin cardo, a hinge. The word was ap plied by the Latin grammarians to the cardinal numbers as we now call them, one, two, and so on. We also speak of the cardinal virtues, and the cardinal points, North, East, South, and West. The term Cardo was applied by the Romans, in their system of land-measurement, to a meridian line drawn from south to north. (Hyginns, in Goesii Aprimensores, p.150.) The Ro man Cardinals, says Richelet, are so called, because they are the hinges or points which support the church (Dic tionnaire).
In the early times of the church this title was given to the incumbents of the parishes of the city of Rome, and also of other great cities. There were also car. dinal deacons, who had the charge of the hospitals for the poor, and who ranked above the other deacons. The cardinal priests of Rome attended the pope on solemn occasions. Leo IV., in the council of Rome, 853, styled them " presbyteros sni cardinis." Afterwards the title of cardinal was given also to the seven bishops suburbicarii, or suffragan of the pope, who took their title from places in the neighbourhood of Rome, namely, Ostia, Porto, Santa Rufina, Sabina, Pales trina,Albano, and Frascati. These bishops were called hebdomadarii, because they attended the pope for a week each in his tarn. The cardinals took part with the rest of the Roman clergy in the election of the pope, who was often chosen from among their number. About the begin ning of the twelfth century, the popes having organized a regular court, be stowed the rank of cardinal priest or deacon on any individual of the clergy or even laity that they thought proper, whether Roman or foreign, and gave to each the title of some particular church of Rome, without any obligatory service being attached to it. Thus they made the cardinals a separate body elected for life; and the officiating priests of the Roman parishes were by degrees deprived of the title of cardinals. Nicholas II., in 1159, issued a decree, limiting the right of tion exclusively to the cardinals thus pointed by the pope, leaving, however, to the rest of the clergy and the people of Rome the right of approving of the tion of the new pope, and to the emperor that of confirming it. In course of time, however, both these last prerogatives be- came disused. Alexander III., in 1179, issued a decree, requiring the unanimous vote of two-thirds of the cardinals to snake an election valid. For a long time the bishops in the great councils of the church continued to take precedence of the cardinals. In France, Louis XIII., in the, sitting of the parliament of Paris of the 2nd of October, 1614, first adjudged to the cardinals the precedence over the ecclesiastical peers or bishops, and abbots. This precedence, however, has been often contested. Pius V., in 1567, forbade any clergyman to assume the title of cardinal except those appointed by the pope. tus V., in December, 1586, fixed the ber of cardinals at seventy, namely, the six bishops suburbicarii above mentioned (the title of Santa Rufina being joined to that of Porto, and that of Velletri to Ostia), fifty cardinal priests, and fourteen deacons ; some of these last, however, having merely the minor orders. All
the cardinals, both priests and deacons, bear the title of a church of the city of Rome. Several of the cardinal priests are bishops of some particular diocese at the same time ; still they bear the title of the particular church of Rome under which they were made cardinals. The body of the cardinals is styled the Sacred College. The number of seventy is seldom plete, the pope generally leaving some vacancies for extraordinary cases. Most of the cardinals who reside at Rome either enjoy ecclesiastical benefices or are employed in the administration, either spiritual or temporal ; others hi-lona to provide for their own support ; and those who have not the same means receive an allowance from the Apostolic chamber or Papal tree., sury of one hundred dollars monthly. Several of the cardinals belong to mo nastic orders, some of whom even after their promotion, continue to reside in their respective convents. The esta blishment of a cardinal is generally respectable, but moderate : a carriage and livery-servants are however an obli gatory part of it. They generally dress in a suit of black, in the garb of clergy men, but with red stockings, and a hat bordered with red. On public occasions their costume is splendid, consisting of a red tunic and mantle, a "rocchetto" or surplice of fine lace, and a red cap or a red three-cornered hat when going out. Members of religious orders, if created cardinals, continue to wear the colour of their monastic habit, and never use silk. When the pope promotes a foreign prelate to the rank of car dinal, he sends him a messenger with the cap: the hat can only be received from the pope's own hands; the only ex ception is in favour of members of royal houses, to whom the hat is sent. Urban VIII., in 1630, gave to the cardinals the title of Eminence, which was shared with them by the grand master of the order of Malta, and the ecclesiastical electors of the German or Roman Empire only. The pope often employs cardinals as his ambassadors to foreign courts, and the in dividual thus employed is styled Legate a Latere. A cardinal legate is the go vernor of one of the Northern provinces of the Papal States, which are known by the name of Legations. The chief secretary of state, the camerlengo, or minister of finances, the vicar of Rome, and other leading official persons, are chosen from among the cardinals.
The Council of Cardinals, when assem bled under the presidency of the pope to discuss matters of church or state, is called " Consisttnium." There are public consistories, held on some great occasions, which correspond to the levees of other sovereigns, and private or secret consisto ries, which are the privy council of the Dope.
In Moreri's Dictionary, art. "Cardinal," is a list of all the cardinals elected from 1119 till 1724, their names, countries, titles, and other dignities, the date of their election, and that of their death, which may be found useful for historical reference. (Relazione della Corte di Roma, nimummente corretta, Rome, 1824; Richard et Giraud, Bibliotheque Sacree, Paris, 1822, art. " Cardinaux.")