A Glimpse in the making of the Cardinals by the Pope

A Glimpse in the making of the Cardinals by the Pope 

 Fr Nelson Lobo OFM Cap

The appointment of two Indian Arch-bishops as cardinals garnered a lot of interest in the making of the cardinals.  In Goa the appointment of our very own arch-bishop as the cardinal created a lot of buzz.  Sensing the mood of the people in Goa I did a You Tube video in Konkani (Goemkar Guru) explaining the making of a cardinal.  The video immediately became viral.  It means people were hungry for some information regarding this topic. But everything cannot be explained in a short video. So here I am with some more details about cardinals.

Let’s begin discussing the hierarchy in the church. Church is highly hierarchical and follows a pyramid model. There are so many technical/canonical names thrown around when talking about the Church it is easy to get confused about who belongs where.  So let’s begin understanding the main levels of the clergy: Deacons, priests, auxiliary bishops, bishops, arch- bishops, cardinals, Dean of cardinals and finally the Pope at the top of this pyramid. Since this article is about the Cardinals let’s focus only on the cardinals.

Cardinals are the top clerics of the Roman Catholic Church, also called its “Princes”.  They are appointed for life.  All the cardinals together are addressed as the college of cardinals. The college of Cardinals is structured in three orders (Can. 350), or ranks: the order of "cardinal deacons," the order of "cardinal priests," and the order of "cardinal bishops." So even a priest can be appointed as the cardinal however he must receive episcopal consecration. Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa OFM Cap the papal preacher for 25 years was appointed as the cardinal on 28 November 2020 by Pope Francis. All the three ranks within the College of Cardinals have ancient historical roots.

The cardinals are selected carefully. The main ingredients that decide the appointment of a cardinal are (Can. 351): He should be truly outstanding in the doctrine of the church, a man of strong virtues, life of piety and prudence in practical matters.  However, a lot depends on the report of the neighbouring Arch-bishops, cardinals (if there are any) and the Nuncio of the country.

The evolution of the position of cardinal and its duties is reflected in its two possible word roots:  On one hand, scholars think the title is derived from the Latin word cardo, meaning hinge, thereby referring to an individual entrusted with an important administrative ecclesiastical office.  On the other hand, some scholars suggest that the title is derived from the Latin incardinare, a term found first in the Letters of Pope St. Gregory I (604), which refers to the incardination of those clerics who serve a diocese other than the one for which they were actually ordained.  Both meanings come to play when we discuss about cardinals. However, let’s dig a little deeper into the usage of this title.

The title of cardinal emerges following the Germanic barbarian invasions, about the year 500.  About the 10th century in Rome, the senior clergy attached to the basilicas & cathedrals– were called cardinals to indicate a certain prestige of their position.  In Rome, these cardinals became a privileged body and were more involved in the liturgical and administrative duties of the Church. By the time of Pope Leo IX (1054), the title cardinal was reserved to the Pope’s principal counsellors and assistants living in Rome.  In 1059, Pope Nicholas II made them the papal electors as well.  In 1084 the title cardinal was also given to deacons. Also at this time, the title of cardinal and the right to elect the Pope was conferred on bishops living outside of the vicinity of Rome and presiding over their own dioceses.  Later, Pope Alexander III (1181) reserved the selection of cardinals exclusively to the Pope in 1179.

So, what is the duty of a cardinal? That’s the prime question everyone wants to know. The most important duty of a cardinal is to elect the Pope, but the responsibilities of the College of Cardinals have steadily evolved over the centuries. Cardinals are personally selected by the Pope (Can. 349). They give counsel to the Pope, contribute to the governance of the Church and act as papal envoys. Some are officers of the Roman Curia while many serve as bishops of major diocese around the world.  In a recent interview Pope Francis said:  "cardinals are the two long arms of the pope - that of being the custodian of the faith and charity." Cardinals have been responsible for electing popes since 1059. They remain eligible to vote until the age of 80 and the number of voting cardinals is limited to 120. The Pope's have always looked with fraternal fondness to the College of Cardinals, as they offer a particular support to the mission of the Successor of Peter, bearing the valuable contribution of their experience and of their service to the particular Churches spread all over the world.

Catholic church is full of signs and symbols.  They are more prominent in our liturgical ceremonies.  After watching the video of the bishops wearing red vestures during the Vatican ceremony of official appointment many wanted to know why do they wear red?  Cardinals receive the symbolic red biretta and a ring from the Pope as we saw on the live telecast from the Vatican.  The colour red expresses the cardinals’ willingness to die for their faith, and the ring signifies their marriage to the church. Red is a sign of the dignity of the office of a Cardinal, signifying that you are ready to act with fortitude, even to the point of spilling your blood for the increase of the Christian faith.

Another popular question that people are curious to know is the number of cardinals in the church. How many Cardinals in the church and how many from India? Over the years, the number of cardinals has varied.  Pope Sixtus V (1590) set the number of cardinals at 70 in 1586, after the number of the 70 Elders of the Old Testament.  Pope John XXIII (1963) revoked this rule and increased the number of cardinals.  In 1970, Pope Paul VI placed certain age restrictions on cardinals:  At age 75, a cardinal must submit his resignation as head of an administrative post in the Curia, and at age 80, he loses his right to vote for the next successor of St. Peter.  The total number of cardinals in the church stands at 229 out of which only 120 cardinals have the voting power to elect the new pope.

So far India had four cardinals—Major Archbishop of Trivandrum (Syro-Malankara); Telesphore P. Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi; Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay; George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-(Syro-Malabar). Now with the addition of two more Arch bishops Poola Anthony of Hyderabad and our very own Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao there are six cardinals from India. Since Pope Francis took office in 2013, the Asia-Pacific region, home to 12% of Catholics worldwide and of which India is a part, has seen its representation rise from 9 to 15% in the past 7 years. The most underrepresented part of the world is Latin America and the Caribbean, where 39% of all the Catholics live.

This glimpse on the making of the cardinal will not be complete if we fail to mention the role of the consistory and the role of the Dean of the College of Cardinals. A consistory (Can. 353) is a formal meeting of the College of Cardinals called by the pope. There are two kinds of consistories, extraordinary and ordinary.  An "extraordinary" consistory is held to allow the pope to consult with the entire membership of the College of Cardinals. An "ordinary" consistory is ceremonial in nature and attended by cardinals residing in Rome for consultation on certain grave matters of more frequent occurrence, or for the performance of especially solemn acts. A meeting of the College of Cardinals to elect a new pope is not a consistory. It is called as a conclave.

The Dean of the College of Cardinals, elected from among the cardinal bishops, presides at the conclave for the election of the pope (Can. 352). The Dean has also the responsibility to communicate the pope's death to the diplomats and to the heads of nations, he represents the Holy See during the sede vacante, and he is the one who asks the pope-elect if he accepts the election, and what name he will take. If the new pope is not a bishop, the Dean of the college of cardinals has the right to ordain him.

Finally, how do we address the cardinal?  A bishop is addressed as His Grace whereas a cardinal is to be addressed as His Eminence. As our arch-bishop begins a new chapter as a cardinal in his life and in the life of the church in Goa I wish him good tidings, blessings and prayers.