Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-05-29
THk CARDINALATF.


rBk CARDySALATF
Description OF the Oaics and Its Honors-An-
ecdote About the Red Cap.
The college of cardinals is the senate and
sovereign council OF the pope In the govern
ment and administration Of the affairs of the
Catholic church in Rome and throughout the
world, and is composed of a number of dis
tinguished ecclesiastics. The office and dig
nifty OF member OF this body is termed the
cardinalate cardinal cannot, unless in
vested with the episcopal character, perform
any act that depends for its validity upon
such a characrer, 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, archbishop, metropoli-
tan, primate or patriarch.
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 and diff
ferences established by law custom, the
most important Of which follow from the
division of the cardinals into three grades,
namely. oi bishops priests and deacons The
mem bership OF the sacred college is limited
to the maximum Of seventy. The number il
seldom complete. In olden times cardinals
were strictly obliged to reside near the pope.
The greatest act that a cardinal can perform
Is TO take part in the papal election. When
cardinal Is living along d distance from Rome
the election has been known to occur before
he has time TO reach the city.
Inc color OF a cardinals dress il red, unless
ne belongs TO religi gious 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 berretta 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 a great adj
miier OF certain abbot IN Rome whose
habit was white, and rumor ran that he
would certainly be made a cardinal. Some
time before the next consistorv the pope
with a considerable retnue, went TO visit the
monastery OF the learned monk. When trsys
OF delicious pyramidal iced creams were
brought in as refreshments, the pope delber-
ately took one OF the white ones and handed
II TO the abbot, aud then took "a red one for
himself NO one, e,of course began eating until
Gregory had tasted first, and while all eyes
were on him he took the top OFT his own iced
cream and put il on the abbot's saving witha
smile, as he looked around him, " How we'll
gentlemen, the red caps the white - The
abbot was so eated at the subtle suggestion
that be bought a cardinals outfit at once
When the news Of the abbot's preciptancy
reached the pope he was so displeased that he
scratched the abbot's name from the list
One OF the ornaments of a cardinal is a gold
RUG set with a sapphire and engraved on
the metal surface OF the inside with the arms
OF the pope who has created him. The pope
himself places 1t upon the cardinals finger
The actual value of this ring il only SIS, but
Tor many centuries the newly.eected cardi-
nal has been expected to give a large sum of
money Tor some pious purpose. For long
time the sum was larger than at present, an ii
was paid IN gold, but in consideration OF the
general distress in the early part OF this
century the amount was reduced tn about
800 The last cardinal who gave the full
sum before the reduction was Della Som
aglia, in 1875.
The Roman ceremonial shows the singular
| Importance of the cardinalate by the disposi.
| ton ordered to be made OF its members even
after death. 1t Is prescribed that when life
| has departed veil shall be thrown over tn.
| face and that the bodv dressed in chasphle
| II bishop or priest shall lie in state. The ha
| used III his creation must be deposited at h i.
| ieet, and alter his funeral be suspended over
his tomb. His body must be laid In !
| cypress-~ood coffin in the presence OF
| notary and his official family a member o
| which lays at his feet little case containing
scroll OF parchment, on which has been
| written brief account of the more import
ant events OF his life. Then the first coffin
| Is lncIosed IN another of lead ana the two
| together in "A third one of some kind of hard
wood, each coffin having been sealed with the
seals oi 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 b,dy was
y
rlages and torches and long array of chanting
irlars TO the church of requiem, where IL re-
NAMED until the day appointed for the mass
at which cardinals and the pope were
present. the latter giving the final absolu-
ton.
Archbishop Gibbons will he one Of the
youngest Cardinals in the college. His rise
IN lhe church has been remarkable Born
In Baltimore in 1854, ordained a priest in
lsbl, appointed vicar apostolic of North
carolina In ISIS, installed as bishop Of Rich.
mond In lS12, promoted cosd tutor arch
bishop OF Baltimore in 1877, assuming
the lull archbishopric upon the death OF
Archbishop Bayley, he is now about To reap
the GROWING honor of his life, being the
second American who has reached the height
OF the cardinalate As the first cardinal
came from the North it 1t peculiarly fitting
that the second should be the head OF the
province which includes 50 many Sout bern
STATES Archbishop Gibbons priestly career
began with the war, and few men have done
more TO aid the South in her onward progress
since the return OF peace. In psrsonal ap-
peafance the archbishop is slender and
rather delicate His features are clear-cul
ana his kindly blue eyes and gentle man
hers make staunch friends for him every
"here. His ability Is of a high order as
writer, and as speaker he is always clear in
argument and simple in style, but 1t is
principally as an administrator that he has
won his highest reputation.