The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-08-14
Especial Correspondence.)

Inc approaching visit to Salt Lake OF His Emil
hence Cardinal Gobbons viii be a unique and a
distinguished compliment paid to our city and to
our Right Reverend Bishop. We have been asked
so many questions by so many people about the
Office and duties of Cardinals and how they are
created. that deem it well to furnish our read
ers with interesting details on the subject.
According to that reliable source. the "C1erar-
CHA Catholica," there have been, from st. Peter
to Plus Y, two hundred and sixty-two Popes. The
Senate and Sovereign Council of the Pope in the
government and administration of the affairs of
the church in Rome and throughout the world, is
composed of number of very distinguished eccle-
siastics who are called Cardinals. The Office and
dignity of a member of this body is known the
Cardinalate.
There is some dispute among the learned about
the precise origin and meaning of the word Cardi-
nal The Catholic Encyclopedia says: by the
priest permanently attached to a church 1t be-
came the usual designation of every priest belong
ing to central or Episcopal church, an ecclesias-
teal cardo the latin for hinge. Then it became in
time equivalent to principals, that Is, excellent.
eminent, superior and is so used by ST. Augustine
in his treatise on baptism. In our own time Car
dinal is dignitary of the Roman church and
counsellor to the Pope"
While all Cardinals are equal among themselves
in all matters of Importance, yet In many points of
costume privilege, local office and rank there are
distinctive and differences established by law and
custom, the most important of which follow from
the division of the Cardinals into three grades
namely, of bishops priests and deacons.
II.
Although the whole number of Sees of titles
and deaconrics that is, of Cardinals, amounts to
seventy-txo (six Cardinal bishops, fifty Cardinal
priests and sixteen Cardinal deacons), the member
ship of the College of Cardinals or Sacred College.
is limited since the time of Pope Slxtus v, 1855.
TO seventy There can be no doubt that the Episco-
pal sees or dioceses lying nearest to, and, so to
speak at the very gates of Rome have enjoyed
from remote antiquity some special pre-emlnence;
but it is not easy TO determine at what epoch their
incumbents began to form a part of the body OF
Cardinals 1t is certain that they belonged to 1t
thousand years ago, for 1t is recorded by Mura-
tori annals of italy, that when Anastaslus had
absented himself from his title for hive years With
out leave and was residing In Lombardy, three
bishops went from Rome to persuade him to return,
and the Emperors Louis and Lothalre also inter-
posed their good Offices to the same effect.
These suburban dioceses all received the faith
from ST. Peter himself. The number OF these sees
was in ancient times seven, but now and Tor a long
time has been only 81 The tlrst OF Ihls oroer y
the Bishop of Ostia, near Rome. As Dean OF the
Sacred College he has the privilege OF consecrat-
inc the Pope The titles of the carnidalprlests are
fifty some being held by priests who have been con-
secrated Bishops but have diocese or by blSh0pS
and Arcbishops at the head of dioceses or archdio
cesas Arcbbisbon Gibbons is is of this order. The
most ilustriaus though not the Oldest OF the sees
filed bv p cardinal-priest is that OF st. Lawrence
in Iucina. which, by right of seniority, gives It's
Cardinal precedence in his class
III.
The manner Of creating Cardinals has differed
in different ages In the earliest period OF whlcn
there are any details, know that the ropes
created the Cardinals the ember days OF Ao al
vent, In the Middle Ages, Cardinals we're created
bv the Pope at his residence of the Latern but pc
fore that period their creation took place IN one OF
three churches. ST. Mary Major, that OF the Twelve
APOSTLES or in the Baslica OF St Peter ,
In the medieval creations three meetings cameo
Consistories. were held in the Pope's Palace, OF
which two were private and one pubic In the nr:t
consistorv the Pope deputed two Cardinals to Tlslt
the homes of every sick or legihmatey absent Oar
dnaI and obtain his opinion on these points: ought
there n he q creations And if SO, OF how many!
On the return of the deputies the Pope asked tne
Cardinals present the same questions. an IleH
yoted bv ballot. and when the votes were counted
the Pone declared he followed the OPINION OF thosg
in favor of creation Then the Cardinals Vote sj
m the number to be created and the Pope created
or made them Cardinals. The next day PUBIC coz
s;storv was held in which the names OF the C a
nails we're solemnly proclaimed, and received ron
+I9o Pone the ~Red Hats" with the designation OF
their churches in Rome.
".
In more recent times, that is, about 1915 wneh
T,,,jco 1rrote his celebrated account OF the no