The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-07-07
COLLEGE OF CARDINALS.
How They Are "Crsstsd"-what the RED
Hat Sigpif1es.

HOW Tney Are "Cfeot0d'-Wnnt tho nSo
Hat Signifies.
The cardinals, as the advisers and as
sistants of the sovereign pontiff, are
the supreme council or senate of the
church.. and on the death of the pope
they elect his successor. There are
three orders of cardinals
priests and deacons These orders are
distinct from those of the hierarchy;
with a few exceptions, the cardinal
priests are archbishops or bishops, and
the cardinal deacons are generally
priests. The sacred college, when COM
plete, consists of seventy members:
six cardinal bishops, whose dioceses
are the six Suburban Sees" fifty car
dinal priests, whose titles" are the
"Titular Churches of which they are
appointed superiors with jurisdiction
and a right to throne, ETC., therein,
and fourteen cardinal deacons who are
appointed to the churches called "Dea-
conries."
The first cardinal bishop is dean, the
first of the priests is first priest, and
the first of the deacons is first deacon
of the sacred college. The deacon has
the right of consecrating and the first
deacon has the right of proclaiming
and browning a new pope. On the
death of the pontiff the cardinal Gamer
lengo has the administration OF the
public affairs of the holy see until q
new pope is elected. The creation"
of cardinal sometimes precedes, even
by several years the publication" or
proclamation. The cardinal is then
said to be reserved in petto." and.
when proclaimed, he takes precedence
according to date of creation.
The title cardinal comes from the
Latin carlo, hinge, because the gate
of the church, the pope, turns on ITS
hinges, the cardinals. Cardinal Glib
bons is cardinal priest, but cardi-
nal is not necessarily priest. The
famous Cardinal Antonelli. privy coun-
cilor of Plus IN, was only deacon, an
Office which is now only a step to the
priesthood. A cardinal deacon may be
a priest in holy orders. and cardinal
priest NAV be, as in the case of Cardinal
Gibbons, an archbishop or a bishop.
The cardinal bishops, however, are al
ways bishops. and had their origin
from the several sees in the vicinity OF
Rome, and a bishop is only a cardinal
bishop" when he presides over one of
these Roman sees. Parish churches
or titles" were first instituted in
Rome by Pope Marcellus in the year
So4, and the priests in whose
charge they were permanently given
were styled cardinal priests" The
fifty cardinal priests now are those
who hold the corresponding number of
titles" or parishes in Rome. 1t was to
receive his title that some years ago
Cardinal Gibbons went to Rome, as it
can only be obtained from the hands of
the pope himself. A cardinal is always
created, never made or Nominated.
The procedure of the appointment in
the case of ecclesiastics residing in
Rome is as follows: The candidate
goes to the vatican and receives from
the pope the red beretta; afterward, at
public consistory, the pope places on
his head the famous red hat, the insignia
of his Office. From the inside of the hat
depend fifteen tassels arranged on both
sides of it in triangle from one to Eve.
The cardinal bears this symbol of his
rank but once-when the pope puts 1t
on his head in the consistory at which
he is created. 1t is then put away and
laid on his bier, and after he is buried
it is brought from the place where his
grave has been made until his success
or has been created. To get the red
hat" means to be created a cardinal,
and a reminder that its recipient
pledges himself to defend the church
and its peace with his blood. Urban
VIII. gave the cardinals their title of
'Eminence." The cardinal wears dis
tinctive ring, a sapphire set in gold,
and on receiving it he is expected to
give large sum of money in charity.
1t is about seven hundred and fifty dol
lars, but was formerly much more.
In the second consistory the pope
''closes the mouth of the candidate;
that is, he forbids him for the present
to speak at meetings of cardinals; and
at third consistory he opens his
mouth, that is, he removes the former
prohibition, giving him, at the same
time, a ring, and assigning him his
title" or parish church in Rome. II
the candidate is absent or prevented
from visiting Rome at that time, the
red beretta is sent to him, and on re-
ceiving it he is bound to make oath that
he will, within a year, visit the tomb Of
the apostles
Cardinals who receive the hat by re-
quest of the heads of the nations to
which they belong are called Grown
Cardinals" Cardinal Guibert, arch
bishop of Paris, was called Grown
Cardinal" although France is a repub-
lie.
A cardinal enthusiastically takes pre-
cedence in rank over bishop or an
archbishop, although, unless of episco-
pal rank himself, he can not perform
the special functions characteristic Of
the episcopacy.
The Emperor Constantine decreed
that the cardinals were the inheritors
of all the honors of the Roman sena-
tors, and declared them consuls and
patricians- The bourbon kings of
France addressed them as dear
friends" and my cousins" The pope
in addressing cardinal bishops calls
| them ''our venerable brothers." cardi-
nal priests he calls ''our dear sons"
and in familiar conversation he speaks
to each as Monsieur lie Cardinal, or
"Signore Cardinale. In writing to the
pope a cardinal signs himself "vostra
creature" (by your creation).
The "Palatine Cardinals" are so
called because they live in one of the
pope's palaces. The cardinal vice
chancellor sends out the pontificial
bulls, and the cardinal vicar admins
| ters the sniritnalities of the diocese of