Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-11-28
MARKS EPOCH IN
CATHOLIC CHURCH
Creation of New Cardinals
Historical Event in North
America.
TIME CHANGES THE FORM
Sacred College Becomes an Institu'
ton in 1888 During Reign
of Sixtus v.

When the three American cardinals
elect Archbishop Farley Of New York, !
Archbishop O'Connell of Boston and 4
Mgr. Falconio, papal delegate TO the
United States, received the red hats /
Of their new dignity from Pope Plus Y. |
In Rome today, an epoch in the history |
of the Catholic church in North Amer !
lea Will be made.
There have been other American
cardinals, even before Cardinal Glib
bons Of Baltimore was made a member
Of the sacred college. Archbishop
Taschereau of Quebec brought to the
basilica Of that quaint old city the red
hat Of Office. Archbishop McCloskey
OF New York received the honor Of
the cardinalate, but the selection of
three men to represent North America
in the great senate of the hierarchy
Of the Catholic church has been one
Of the most notable events in the time
OF Pope Plus X.
CARDINALATE OF THE CHURCH.
The cardinalate OF the Catholic
church is an institution antedating the
fourth century. for mention of cardinal
priests, who had charge of special
titles" or parish churches in Rome,
occurs in the history of Pope Marcel
lus "a. d. 204). THE cardinals were
not at first assigned to different dis
tricts, but as time went on the deacons
who had charge OF the charitable IN
situations in the neighborhood of
Rome came to be called cardinal dea-
cons and to have certain districts as
signed to them.
The Council of Basic placed the
number of cardinals at "a. Leo X.
raised the number to 65. The final
regulation, which was made in 1886
and which still holds. orders that the
number of cardinals be set at 20. The
cardinals owe their appointments sole
ly to the pope.
VARYING FORMS
The forms used in the creation OF
cardinals have varied through succeed
ing ages. BY the bull of Sixtus V. the
sacred college was created as the In
stitution on Dec. 3, 1885. BY this in
strument tho number of members in
the institute of the cardinalate was
set at 20. Since that time the number
has not been exceeded, although the
pope would nave power TO exceed that
number in appointments should he see
fit to do so. The 20 represent the
biblical example "of the 10 elders ap-
pointed by God as the counselors OF
Moses"
The bull OF Pope Sixtus also pro-
ut hnN h - H.,
should consist OF six cardinal bishops,
so cardinal priests and II cardinal
deacons. The six cardinal bishops
were TO be bishops Of the see lying i'm
mediately around Rome The 90 car
dinal priests were nominally holders
of the titles TO the churches in Rome
but many OF them were bishops or
archbishops Of distant sees. Four OF
them were TO be regulation members
CASUALLY the "generals') of the monas-
tic orders. The II deacons took their
titles from the "deaconries," which
were established in the earliest ages
OF the church for the assistance and
protection OF widows and orphans.
The connection of the cardinals with
the special gees and churches in and
about Rome became in time purely
nominal and formal. The limits Of the
pope's choice in the selection of cardi-
mails became gradually and constantly
enlarged.
The form of nomination which re-
Quired the pope to issue a pToclama-
ton to the congregation Of the sacred
college, including an invitation to any
person TO state any ground Of objec-
ton known TO him against the nomi-
nee. became in time changed to a reai
consultation of the pope with the ex-
listing cardinalate of the college and q
real assent on the part of these cardi-
nails TO the additions 70 their number.
This in turn became a mere form OF
asking and receiving assent
IN TIRE EARLIER CENTURIES.
In the earlier centuries the creation
of new cardinals nearly always took
place on the first Wednesday of the
"Quatro Temporal and generally in
the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
There. after the introit and collect of
the mass had been said, a reader as
cended to the pulpit and proclaimed