Title, function of Cardinal, College of Cardinals in the Catholic Church

Currently, there are 226 living Cardinals, of which 124 are Cardinal electors (under 80 years old) on the list of candidates to be elected Pope. Cardinal is a noble and high-ranking title of the Roman Catholic Church (second only to the Pope), so it is not conferred but only appointed or constituted.

Noble title

The title of Cardinal appeared around the 7th or 8th century after the titles of Bishop, Priest and Deacon. The conferment of the title of Cardinal was by the Pope's sole discretion, provided the person was male, had been ordained a priest and was prominent in many fields.

From the time of being declared a Cardinal, he enjoys the rights and obligations prescribed by Canon Law. A Cardinal receives a title of the Church outside Rome or a church within Rome, where he only has the right to patronize and advise but does not have the right to lead or interfere in the work of the church.

Cardinals usually follow three holy orders: Cardinal Bishop, Cardinal Priest and Cardinal Deacon.

Archbishop of Hanoi Archdiocese Peter Nguyen Van Nhon in front of Hanoi Cathedral (St. Joseph's Cathedral) in May 2010. Photo: Reuters

Cardinal Bishop(Cardinal Bishops): Bishops of dioceses surrounding Rome and used by the Pope as advisors. From the 13th century, Pope Innocent IV (1245) and then Pope Boniface VIII (1294) stipulated that in some special cases, key bishops were allowed to wear red hats and red robes, and from then on, these bishops were called "Cardinal Bishops".

In 1567, Pope Pius V issued an official decree defining Cardinal Bishop as a high-ranking title in the Roman Catholic Church. Currently, there are 6 Cardinals who are Cardinal Bishops with the title of 6/7 dioceses surrounding Rome (Ostie, Proto Sainte Sabine, Albano, Velestri, Palestrina, Sabina, Francasti, the diocese of Ostie is reserved only for the head of the College of Cardinals (Cardinal Dean).

According to Canon Law, Eastern Catholic Patriarchs, if appointed as Cardinals, are always Cardinal Bishops and retain their Patriarchal title.

Cardinal Priest(Cardinal Priets): Cardinals who govern local churches outside the diocese of Rome.

Cardinal Deacon(Cardinal Deacons): Cardinals who hold positions in the Vatican and are given titles in another diocese. These are mostly Cardinal Prefects or Presidents of central agencies in the Roman Curia. If in Rome, these are advisors to the Pope, if in other dioceses, they are advisors to the diocesan Bishops. During papal elections, the Cardinal Deacons are responsible for announcing to the faithful the name of the newly elected Pope and are the ones who, on behalf of the Pope, hand over the "Pallium" to the Archbishops or send it through the Archbishops' representatives.

This distinction is purely traditional and formal. According to custom, Archbishops of Archdioceses outside Rome are appointed Cardinals titular to the see of priests, while Cardinals who head central organs of the Holy See are appointed Cardinals titular to the see of deacons. Cardinals titular to the see of priests can be transferred to the see of Cardinal Bishops (when there is a vacancy in the rank of Cardinal Bishops) and usually after 10 years as Cardinal titular to the see of deacons can be transferred to the see of Cardinals titular to the see of priests.

There are also Cardinal patrons authorized by the Holy See, whose duty is to patronize and advise a religious order, especially a female order, and Cardinal envoys in the Roman Curia. Cardinal envoys are responsible for overseeing the Curia, managing the assets and laws of the Holy See after the Pope's death or resignation until a new Pope is elected, who is appointed by the Pope or elected by the College of Cardinals.

In the history of the Church, there have been Cardinals who were not ordained but had an honorary title, and some members of the royal family of the Pope were also given the title of Cardinal. Before 1917, to be appointed Cardinal, one did not need to be an ordained priest; but over time, the title of Cardinal has become increasingly important and has been more strictly regulated.

Notre Dame Cathedral, an ancient architectural work in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Viet Linh

In the early centuries, Cardinals served only in the Roman Curia, Cardinal priests and Cardinal deacons were all clergy of the diocese of Rome, and Cardinal Bishops were also Bishops of a diocese adjacent to Rome.

It was not until the 11th century that clergy from outside Rome began to be appointed Cardinals to serve in the Roman Curia. In the 13th century, Bishops who governed dioceses in different countries began to be appointed Cardinals, but these Cardinals all had to return to Rome to live and serve in the Curia.

By the 16th century, after the Council of Trent, Cardinals appointed from many countries were allowed to stay and serve in their dioceses. From here, two types of Cardinals were formed: Cardinals residing and working in Rome (these are called Curia Cardinals) and Cardinals working as diocesan Bishops scattered throughout the world. Cardinals in charge of dioceses must return to Rome whenever the Pope summons them.

In reality, only the Cardinals in the Curia are effective assistants to the Pope, while the Cardinals scattered around the world, although appointed as members of many Dicasteries in the Curia, are only there to have their names and participate in electing the Pope. Currently, there are more than 40 Cardinals residing and working in Rome, equivalent to about 1/4 of the total number of Cardinals in the Catholic Church.

About the uniform:Initially, those with the title of Cardinal, if they were Bishops, wore purple vestments, and if they were priests or deacons, they wore black vestments. In the 13th century (1294), Pope Bonifacio VIII stipulated that those with the title of Cardinal, regardless of whether they were bishops, priests or deacons, were required to wear red vestments. In the 15th century (1464), Pope Paul II added red veils and hats to the Cardinals.

Pope Francis' most recent creation of cardinals was on May 21, 2018. The new cardinals created on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul included 14 men from: Iraq, Spain, Italy, Poland, Pakistan, Portugal, Peru, Madagascar, Japan, Mexico and Bolivia.

With the sudden death of Archbishop Paul Bui Van Doc of Saigon last year, the Church in Vietnam may have just lost an opportunity to have a 7th Cardinal. The last person of the Vietnamese Church to be appointed was Cardinal Peter Nguyen Van Nhon (born 1938, retired). He was appointed Archbishop of Hanoi on May 13, 2010, and more than 4 years later was appointed Cardinal on February 14, 2015.