A cardinal named in pectore is known only to the pope; not even the cardinal so named is necessarily aware of his elevation, and in any event cannot function as a cardinal while his appointment is in pectore. Today, cardinals are named in pectore to protect them or their congregations from reprisals if their identities were known.
If it is possible to answer this question, answer it for me (else, reply "unanswerable"): What can a cardinal in pectore continue to function as?
unanswerable