Cardinal Bishop, Cardinal Deacon, Cardinal Priest: What's the Difference?
Posted Monday, April 29, 2002, at 1:52 PM ETA group of U.S. cardinals returned from Rome after a two-day conference with the pope. What are a cardinal's duties, and what do their ranks mean?
PRINT
DISCUSS
E-MAIL
RSS
RECOMMEND...
Facebook
MySpace
Mixx
Digg
Reddit
del.icio.us
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Sphere
StumbleUponThe title of cardinal is bestowed by papal appointment. Cardinals perform two primary duties: to act as advisers to the pope at his request, and to eventually elect his replacement. Upon a pope's death or resignation, the College of Cardinals elects a member of the church to serve as the new pontiff (cardinals over age 80 may not vote). While a two-thirds majority vote is initially required to elect, a pope may be elected by a simple majority vote if nine days of voting produce no winner. The voting process last occurred in 1978 with the election of Pope John Paul II.
The three ranks of cardinals are cardinal bishop, cardinal deacon, and cardinal priest. Only six cardinals hold the title of cardinal bishop. Each cardinal bishop holds jurisdiction over a church in a suburb of Rome. These cardinals work in departments of the Roman Curia, the central administration of the church.
Often called "the pope's cabinet," cardinal deacons also work full-time in the curia. The senior cardinal deacon has the honor of ceremoniously announcing the newly elected pope from the balcony of the Vatican.
Cardinal priests are bishops who serve in dioceses outside Rome. The overwhelming majority of cardinals are cardinal priests, including U.S. cardinals.
Bonus Explainer: So, why do some cities have an archbishop but not a cardinal? Each of the 32 ecclesiastical provinces in the United States has a ruling archbishop, who is appointed by the pope, but it's up to the pope to decide whether to make each archbishop a cardinal. So far, Pope John Paul II has promoted 12 U.S. archbishops; before his death in 1978, Paul VI promoted one. Of those 13, five are either retired or based at the Vatican. The other eight represent New York City, Chicago, Baltimore, Boston, Los Angeles, Detroit, Philadelphia, and the District of Columbia.
Next question?
Explainer thanks the Vatican Web site, writer Michael Sean Winters, and Adam D. Pederson for asking the question.
Is It More Important for Your Turkey To Be Organic or Local?
Why Gift Cards Are a Terrible Gift
Is Sarah Palin's Approval Rating Really as High as Barack Obama's?
Justice Scalia's Most Eccentric Habits
Adam Lambert's Refreshing Non-Apology on the CBS Early Show
Democrats Have a Lot To Be Thankful For
Reader Comments From The Fray:
Avery Dulles, a Jesuit theologian at Fordham University, is a cardinal deacon, not a cardinal priest. I think he is also, by papal dispensation, not even a bishop. Apparently, as a cardinal he can nonetheless wear a miter and carry certain other symbols usually restricted to bishops.
--Quibbler
(To find or answer this post, click here.)
You can't entirely blame Explainer for that, because the Jesuits are in a lunatic realm all of their own (a Jesuit's own words to me; I actually deeply admire the Society of Jesus.) Jesuits can only be appointed bishop or cardinal, or any of the title of the Church, by order of the Pope, not just at his appointment. It has to do with their vows of humility and obedience.
My favorite bishop, FWIW, is Father--excuse me, Bishop Gordon Bennett. Last I heard, he was in Baltimore. He has a voice like James Earl Jones--when he speaks, you [think] God Himself is talking to you. And what he says has the excellent reasoning and moral authority you expect from the Jesuits.
--Yankee
(To find or answer this post, click here.)
(4/29)