What's A Cardinal? The 'Princes' Of The Church Electing A New Pope
A cardinal (from the Latin "cardinalis", or principal) is a high dignitary of the Catholic Church chosen by the pope to assist him in his government.
The main dicasteries -- the Holy See equivalent of government ministries -- are, for the most part, headed by cardinals.
Their exact title is cardinal of the Holy Roman Church.
Gathered in the College of Cardinals, presided over by a dean -- currently the 91-year-old Italian Giovanni Battista Re -- they form the top echelon of the Catholic Church.
Cardinal being a title and not a function, many of them are bishops of dioceses around the world, while others who hold positions in the Curia, the Vatican's government, live in Rome.
There are 252 cardinals, but only those aged under 80 are eligible to vote for a new pope following a pontiff's death or resignation.
There were 135 cardinal electors when Pope Francis died, but two are not attending the conclave, meaning 133 are gathering on Wednesday.
Held in the renowned Sistine Chapel, the conclave is highly secretive and follows strict rules and ceremonial procedures.
Cardinals are not named but "created" by papal decree.
The term derives from Roman times, and implies the recipient is elevated in rank because of his qualities, but not appointed to any vacant post or office.
Under Vatican rules, the pontiff can create cardinals out of men who are "truly outstanding in doctrine, virtue, piety and prudence in practical matters".
Cardinals wear clothes of scarlet red, a colour once associated with the Roman Senate, an emblem of power, prestige and authority, and later representing the blood of Christ.
They also wear a ring, traditionally a sapphire, as well as a pectoral cross, the crosier, or staff, and the traditional headdress, the mitre.
The creation of cardinals reflects the political views of the pontiff, who normally uses this power to shape the selection of his own successor.
During his pontificate, Francis made a point of appointing more cardinals from the "peripheries" of the Catholic world, places previously overlooked by Rome.
Cardinals, who have the title of "eminence", are second only to the pope in the Church's hierarchy and can officiate in all churches outside Rome. They may also be buried in churches.
The Second Vatican Council considerably reduced the privileges granted to the Church's most senior prelates, who previously used to reserve an entire compartment when travelling by train and have a throne room in their residence.
Francis went further, deciding in 2023 that cardinals could no longer enjoy Vatican apartments rent-free.
Two years earlier he had reduced their salaries to help mitigate the damage wrought by the coronavirus pandemic on the Holy See's finances.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
13-08-2025
- Int'l Business Times
Thousands Battle Greece Fires As Heatwave Bakes Europe
Greece on Wednesday battled to contain more than 20 wildfires including one menacing its third-largest city Patras as a heatwave stoked blazes and forced the evacuation of thousands in southern Europe. Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, the Balkans and Britain have this week wilted in high temperatures that fuel wildfires and which scientists say human-induced climate change is intensifying. Since dawn on Wednesday, 4,850 firefighters and 33 planes were mobilised across Greece on what promised to be "a very difficult day", fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said. A fire near the ancient Mycenaean archaeological site of Voudeni, just seven kilometres (four miles) from Patras, threatened forested zones and homes, and the area was covered by a thick cloud of smoke, an AFP journalist reported. Fierce wind "is hampering the task of water bombers, and is making collecting water at sea more difficult", the president of the firefighter officers' union, Kostas Tsigkas, told public broadcaster ERT. In the western Achaia region in the Peloponnese, to which the coastal city of Patras belongs, around 20 villages were evacuated on Tuesday. Other fronts were burning on the popular tourist island of Zante and the Aegean island of Chios, scarred by a huge wildfire in June that ravaged more than 4,000 hectares. The Greek coastguard said it had helped evacuate nearly 80 people from Chios and near Patras. The national ambulance service reported 52 hospitalisations from Achaia, Chios and the western town of Preveza, including "a small number of firefighters", mostly for respiratory problems and minor burns. Temperatures are due to come close to 40C in parts of western Greece on Wednesday, including the northwest Peloponnese, national weather service EMY forecast. After Greece requested four water bombers from the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to bolster its resources, leftist opposition party Syriza criticised the conservative government's preparation for the fires that hit every year. Greece needed "a bold redistribution of resources in favour of civil protection", an "emphasis on prevention", better coordination and new technologies in its civil protection system, Syriza said. At the other end of the Mediterranean, wildfires continued to dominate the news in Spain, where cooler temperatures and greater humidity were expected to help control blazes in which two people have died. Authorities in the northwestern region of Castile and Leon, where flames have threatened a world heritage Roman mining site, said almost 6,000 people from 26 localities had been evacuated from their homes. Bushy undergrowth and searing temperatures that have baked Spain for almost two weeks had created "the worst possible breeding ground for this situation", Castile and Leon's civil protection head Irene Cortes said. A total of 199 wildfires have scorched nearly 98,784 hectares across Spain this year, more than double the area burned during the same period in 2024. Neighbouring Portugal deployed more than 1,800 firefighters and around 20 aircraft against five major blazes, with efforts focused on a blaze in the central municipality of Trancoso that has raged since Saturday. Strong gusts of wind had rekindled flames overnight and threatened nearby villages, where television images showed locals volunteering to help the firefighters under a thick cloud of smoke. "It's scary... but we are always ready to help each other," a mask-wearing farmer told Sic Noticias television, holding a spade in his hand. Italian firefighters had extinguished a blaze that burned for five days on the famed Mount Vesuvius and spewed plumes of smoke over the Naples area. In Britain, temperatures were expected to peak at 34C in the country's fourth heatwave of the summer. The UK Health Security Agency warned of "significant impacts" on health and social care services for the parts of central and southeastern England where the harshest heat was forecast. The Balkans have wilted in high temperatures that fuel wildfires AFP Authorities in Spain's northwestern region of Castile and Leon said almost 6,000 people from 26 localities had been evacuated from their homes AFP
DW
06-08-2025
- DW
Italy approves controversial bridge tying Sicily to mainland – DW – 08/06/2025
PM Meloni's coalition hailed the project as an economic boost, while critics worry about its impact and cost, which comes in at over €13 billion. If completed, the bridge would be the world's longest. A committee of Italian ministers on Wednesday green lit plans to build a 3.3-kilometer (2.05-mile)-long bridge connecting the island of Sicily across the Strait of Messina to mainland Italy. The controversial project has been in discussions for decades, but the latest plans call for completion of the bridge by 2032. If completed, Strait of Messina Bridge would break Turkey's Canakkale Bridge's record as the longest in the world at 2.02-kilometers long Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition government hailed the state-funded project as an economic boost for Italy's impoverished south. "It is not an easy task but we consider it an investment in Italy's present and future, and we like difficult challenges when they make sense," Meloni said, according to her office. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini told a news conference in Rome the bridge will be "the biggest infrastructure project in the West," Critics have questioned the wisdom of building a record long bridge in an earthquake zone, while also pointing to its cost, the possible environmental damage it may cause and fears the mafia might infiltrate construction contracts. Earlier this week, environmental associations filed a complaint with the European Union over serious risks from building the bridge to the local environment. Nicola Fratoianni, an MP of the Greens and Left Alliance, slammed a "mega-project that will divert a huge amount of public resources" and "risks turning into a gigantic black hole," The center-left Democratic Party warned that the project "tramples environmental, safety and European norms, and common sense." Many believe that the mega project, which has been discussed since the 1960s, will actually never materialize. But ministers have called Wednesday's approval by the government committee the furthest the project has ever got. The €13.5 billion ($15.6 billion) project has been planned for decades, with various hurdles and concerns delaying its completion. The bridge is meant to go over the Strait of Messina, a narrow strip of water between Sicily and the region of Calabria. It should boost two railway lines in the middle and three lanes of traffic on either side. Proponents expect it will massively cut travel time from and to Sicily, which are now delayed by ferry rides that involve long waits. Work on the project could begin as early as September or October, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told reporters. He hailed the project, alongside a bundle of other new roads, railways and stations, as a "development accelerator" for impoverished Sicily and Calabria. He even hinted that the project could also help achieve military purposes. "It is obvious that it is dual-use and can therefore be used for security reasons too," he said in a press conference.
Int'l Business Times
06-08-2025
- Int'l Business Times
Berlin Wary As Berlusconi Group Closer To German Media Takeover
An Italian media group majority-owned by late leader Silvio Berlusconi's family moved closer to taking over a German broadcasting giant Wednesday, sparking warnings from Berlin that its journalistic independence must be maintained. ProSiebenSat.1, one of Germany's biggest private broadcasting groups, recommended its shareholders accept a fresh offer presented by MediaForEurope (MFE) last week, valuing the German company at nearly 1.9 billion euros ($2.2 billion). MFE, led by Pier Silvio Berlusconi, son of the late media tycoon and former politician, aims to build a pan-European group big enough to compete with increasingly popular streaming giants such as Netflix. The German government has however been wary of the potential takeover by MFE, and German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer was quick to express concerns after ProSieben's recommendation. "Should MFE actually gain majority control of ProSiebenSat.1, we expect the editorial independence of the newsrooms to be preserved", he said on X, adding that any future cross-border European media group should be headquartered in Munich, where ProSieben is currently based. Weimer also added that he would discuss the mooted takeover with Pier Silvio Berlusconi in Berlin in September. Announcing its decision to back MFE's latest offer, the German group said the bid "underscores MFE's long-term investment and continued commitment to ProSiebenSat.1". A deal could also deliver annual savings of 150 million euros, it said in a statement. The Italians, who already had a substantial stake in ProSieben, had been competing with Czech group PPF for the German broadcasting giant. Last week MFE boosted the share component of its bid to 1.3 MFE shares for each of ProSieben's shares, while keeping the cash component the same at 4.48 euros per share. This values the shares of the German group at around eight euros, above PPF's all-cash offer of seven euros a share, which aimed to double its holding. PPF decided not to raise its own offer. MFE, the biggest commercial television network in Italy and one of the biggest in Europe, did not respond to ProSieben's announcement Wednesday. But announcing its improved offer last week, Pier Silvio Berlusconi said MFE was aiming to "build what is still lacking: a strong, locally rooted European group of sufficient size to compete globally". He also stressed that "MFE has always upheld its founding values: business ethics, pluralism, freedom of information, employment protection. It will continue to uphold these values at all times and everywhere." Formerly known as Mediaset, MFE has sought to acquire ProSieben on several occasions in the past -- its first attempt was back in 2003, with Berlin opposing the move. Silvio Berlusconi, who dominated Italian politics in the late 1990s and early 2000s, died in 2023.
