Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1909-12-18
The Sacred College Is Limited
to Seventy, But Rarely
Complete.
Three Distinct Glasses Though
All Are of Prineely
Rank.
THINGS WORTH REMEMBERING

The long talked of consistory is
causing more. anxiety among the
laity than among the clergy. Daily
inquiries are made as to what Car
dinal means, as to his duties, ETC.
c. A. Bowler, a Catholic writer, has
explained many of these things.
The title of Cardinal is taken from
the Latin cardo; hinge. 1t has ex-
listed in the Catholic church from
very early times, and was at first
used TO designate certain ecclesiastics
who were the Pope's Wears and coad-
tutors in the diocese of Rome, for
the management Of affairs both spir-
itual and temporal. In 1909 Pope
Nicholas H. restricted the right of
electing a Pope to the Cardinals
alone. The body of Cardinals is
called the Sacred College. While it
is usual for the Cardinals to select
one of their own number as Pope,
there is no rule of the church in the
matter, and at least seven successors
of st. Peter were elevated without
ever having worn the purple.
The cardinulate is divided into
three classes, though all are of equa.
princely rank-Cardipal Bishops,
Cardinal Priests and Cardinal
Deacons. The precedent in each or
der is according TO seniority of crea-
ton. The six Cardinal Bishops hold
respectively the six suburban sees of
Rome, viz. First, Ostia and Velletri;
second. Porto and S. Rufina; third,
Frascati; fourth, Palestriha; fifth,
Sabina, and sixth, Albano. The
Bishop of Ostia is Dean of the Sacred
College and it is he who consecrates
the new Pope. The Bishop of Porto
is subdeacon.
In 1886 Pope Sixtus V. limited the
number of Cardinals to seventy men,
bers-six Bishops, fifty priests and
fourteen deacons-and that rule has
prevailed to the present time, but for
the last century the number has
been seldom complete, but in 1855
and again in 1867 there was not a
vacant seat. The fifty Cardinal priests
are chosen chiefly from among the
Patriarchs, the Archbishops and the
Bishops; but the religious orders are
also represented. Each has the title
of church in Rome allotted to him,
and in that church he has jurisdic-
ton, and a throne under o canopy
This title may in-time be exchanged
successfully for others that are
vacant, and in due course by right
of seniority for a vacant Cardinal
Bishopric. This translation from one
church to another Is called optare.
In the sixteenth and seventeenth GEN.
turtles opting was much in favor, and
II was not an uncommon occurrence
for a Cardinal to have held as many
as four or five titles in succession.
The term reserved in Petto" is
applied to the creation of Cardinals
whose names are kept secret, and
when the publication thereof is de-
layed for some reason or other. No
one can assume the rank of Car
dinal until his name has been pub
1ished; but as soon as proclaimed he
takes precedence over others from
the day he was created and reserved
in petto. Should the Pope die be-
fore the publication is made, the
creation is void. It is supposed that
DR.. Lingard, the great English his
torian, was created and reserved in
petto by Leo XII. in 1926, though
never published.
Innocent ~. ordained that Car
dinals should wear a red hat to sig
Nifty their willingness TO expose
themselves to the shedding of their
blood for the church. Paul H.. in
1864 instituted the scarlet skull cap
and biretta. Gregory XIV. in 1880
extended the same privilege to Car
dinals of the monastic orders, who
until then had worn no badge OF
their dignity. In 1914, in the Par
lament of Paris, Louis XIII. adj
Judged precedence to the Cardinals
over Bishops and Abbots.
Extraordinary cases are cited
where men have been created Car
dinals after death. But those were
in the days when there were no rail-
roads and telegraph systems. The
Pope named them not knowing they
were dead. The first instance record
ed Is that of William Macalshield, an
who died in 1903, two days
before he was named Cardinal. Again /,
in ITO a Portuguese priest died be-
fore he knew he had been elevated.