Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-07-28
THE CARDiNALATE.
Description OF the ONCE and It's Far
Reaching Ecclesiastic Importance.

Description OF the ONCE and Its Far
Reaching EccIesiastic Importance.
In view of the Pope's selection OF
Archbishop Gibbons, of Baltimore, as
a member of the College of Cardinals,
the following facts about the Cardinal
ate will be found interesting: The Col
lege of Cardinals is the Senate and SOW
ereign council of the Pope in the
government and administration of tn e
affairs of the Catholic Church in Rome
and throughout the world, and is COM
posed of number Of distinguished
ecclesiastics. The Office and dignity of
a member of this body is termed the
Cardinalate. A Cardinal can not, un-
less invested with the Episcopal char
acter, perform any act that depends for
its validity upon such a character, nor
can he lawfully invade the Jurisdiction
of Bishop; but apart from this his
rank in the church is always, every
where and under all circumstances,
superior to that of any Bishop, Arch
bishop, Metropolitan, Primate or Patri-
arch.
| Although all Cardinals are equal
among themselves in the principal
things, yet in many points of costume,
privilege, local office and rank there
are distinctions or differences estab-
lished by law or custom, the most inn
portant of which follow from the divis-
ion of the Cardinals into three grades
namely, of Bishops, priests and dea-
cons. The membership of the sacred
college is limited to the maximum of
seventy. The number is seldom COM
| plete. In olden times Cardinals were
strictly obliged to reside near the Pope.
| The greatest act that Cardinal can
perform is to take part in the Papal
| election. When Cardinal is living a
long distance from Rome the election
has been known to occur before he had
time to reach the CITY,
The color of a Cardinals dress is red,
unless he belongs to religious order,
in which case he retains that of his
habit, but uses the same shape of dress
as the others. The red hat and the
beretta or red cap are the most widely
| known distinctions of the order. A
good anecdote is told in connection
with the red cap. Pope Gregory XVI.
was great admirer of certain Abbot
| in Rome, whose habit was white, and
rumor ran that he would certainly be
made Cardinal. Some time before
the next consistory the Pope, with a
| considerable retinue, went to visit the
monastery of the learned monk. When
trays of delicious pyramidal iced creams
were brought in as refreshment the
| Pope deliberately took one of the white
| ones and handed it to the Abbott, and
| then took red one for himself. No
| one, of course, began eating until Greg
| Dry had tasted first, and while all eyes
were on him he took the top off his own
iced cream and put it on the Abbot s,
| saying, with smile, as he looked
around him: How we'll, gentlemen,
| the red caps the white The Abbot
was so elated at the subtle suggestion
that he bought Cardinals outfit at
once. When the news of the Abbot's
| precipitancy reached the Pope he was
| so displeased that he scratched the Alb
bots name from the list.
One of the ornaments of Cardinal
is a gold ring set with sapphire, and
| engraved on the metal surface of the in
side with the arms Of the Pope who has
created him. The Pope himself places
it upon the Cardinals finger. The
actual value of the ring is only $25,
| but for many centuries the newly elect
| ed Cardinal has been expected to give
large sum of money for some pious
purpose. For long time the sum was
| larger than at present, and was paid in
| gold, but in consideration of the gen
eral distress in the early part of this
| century the amount was reduced to
| about $3.50. The last Cardinal who
gave the full sum before the reduction
was Della Somalgia, in 1905.
The Roman ceremonial shows the
singular Importance of the Cardinalate
| by the disposition ordered to be made
| of it's members after death. 1t is pre-
| scribed that when life has departed a
veil shall be thrown over the face and
| that the body, dressed in chasuble, if
| Bishop or priest, shall lie In state. The
| hat used in his creation must be de-
| posted at his feet, and after his funeral
| be suspended over his tomb. His body
must be laid in cypress wood coffin in
| the presence of a notary and his official
| family, member of which lays at his
feet little scroll of parchment, on
| account of the more important events
of his life. Then the first coffin is in
| closed in another of lead and the two
| together in a third one of some kind OF
hard wood, each coffin having been
| sealed with the seal of the dead Cardinal
and of the living notary. Before the
occupation of Rome by the Italian
Government the obsequies were very
solemn and impressive. The body
was borne by night with funeral pomp
of carriages and torches and long ar
ray of chanting friars to the church of
| requiem, where it remained until the
| day appointed for the mass, at which
Cardinals and the Pope were present,
the latter giving the! final absolution.-
! Baltimore Sb7a 49,
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