Dean of the College of Cardinals

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Template:Short description

Giovanni Battista Re, the incumbent dean

The dean of the College of Cardinals (Template:Langx) presides over the College of Cardinals in the Catholic Church, serving as Template:Lang ('first among equals'). The position was established in the 12th century. He always holds the rank of a cardinal bishop and is assisted by a vice-dean. Both are elected by and from the cardinal bishops who are not Eastern Catholic patriarchs, with their election subject to papal confirmation. Except for presiding over the college, the dean and vice-dean have no power over the other cardinals.

For centuries, the cardinal bishop who had been a bishop of a suburbicarian see the longest was the dean. This custom became a requirement with the canon law of 1917.<ref name=commentary>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=canon237>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Efn On 26 February 1965, Pope Paul VI empowered the cardinal bishops to elect the dean from among their number.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Efn Both the dean and subdean must reside in Rome.<ref name=commentary/>

Until December 2019, the dean held the position until death or resignation; there was no mandatory age of retirement.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Then, upon accepting Cardinal Angelo Sodano's resignation as dean of the College of Cardinals, Pope Francis established that the dean would henceforth serve a five-year term that may be renewed once.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In anticipation of the election of a new dean, Francis said: "I am hoping they will elect someone who can carry this important responsibility full time."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Nevertheless, on 6 February 2025, the Pope extended indefinitely Cardinal Re's mandate as dean.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Responsibilities

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The dean summons the conclave for the purposes of electing a new pope following a death or resignation. The Dean presides over the daily meetings of the College of Cardinals in advance of the conclave and then presides over the conclave unless his age prohibits his participation. The dean also has the responsibility of communicating the "news of the Pope's death to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See and to the Heads of the respective Nations".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He is the public face of the Holy See until a new pope is elected. If he participates in the conclave, the dean asks the pope-elect if he accepts the election, and then asks the new pope what name he wishes to use. If the dean himself is elected pope, the aforementioned tasks are assumed by the sub-dean of the College of Cardinals. If the newly elected pope is not already a bishop, the dean ordains him a bishop.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The dean has "the title of the diocese of Ostia, together with that of any other church to which he already has a title,"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> such as his suburbicarian diocese. This has been the case since 1914, by decree of Pope Pius X – previous deans had given up their suburbicarian see and taken the joint title of Ostia and Velletri, which were separated in that same 1914 decree.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Deans elected pope

Nine Deans have been elected pope:<ref>For the first half of 12th century the source is Rudolf Hüls, Kardinäle, Klerus und Kirchen Roms: 1049–1130, Tübingen 1977, p. 84, for the rest the respective biographical entries by S. Miranda, with corrections appearing from J.M. Brixius, Die Mitglieder des Kardinalkollegiums von 1130–1181, Berlin 1912; Werner Maleczek, Papst und Kardinalskolleg von 1191 bis 1216, Vienna 1984; Agostino Paravicini Bagliani, Cardinali di curia e "familiae" cardinalizie dal 1227 al 1254, Padova 1972; and Richard Sternfeld, Der Kardinal Johann Gaetan Orsini (Papst Nikolaus III) 1244–1277, Berlin 1905, for 12–13th centuries.</ref>

  1. Corrado Demitri, elected Pope Anastasius IV in 1153
  2. Ubaldo Allucingoli, elected Pope Lucius III in 1181
  3. Ugolino di Conti was elected Pope Gregory IX in 1227
  4. Rinaldo di Jenne was elected Pope Alexander IV in 1254
  5. Pedro Julião was elected Pope John XXI in September 1276
  6. Rodrigo Borgia was elected Pope Alexander VI in 1492
  7. Alessandro Farnese was elected Pope Paul III in 1534
  8. Gian Pietro Carafa was elected Pope Paul IV in May 1555
  9. Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI in 2005

List of deans

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The following is the list of deans of the Sacred College of Cardinals, separated into three groups to account for the Western Schism, which ended after the Council of Constance. The earliest attested reference to the "College of Cardinals" is at the Council of Reims in 1148.<ref>John F. Broderick, S.J., "The Sacred College of Cardinals: Size and Geographical Composition (1099–1986)," Archivum Historiae Pontificiae, Vol. 25 (1987), pp. 7–71, at p. 9 note 6. And see: Edith Pasztor, "Riforma della chiesa nel secolo XI e l'origine del Collegio dei Cardinali: Problemi e ricerche," in: Studio sul Medioevo cristiano offerti a Raffaello Morghen, II, (Roma 1974), pp. 609-625, arguing that the College of Cardinals did not yet exist at the end of the 11th century. Without the existence of the College, of course, a Dean of the College of Cardinals would be impossible.</ref>

Each name in the following list includes years of birth and death, then comma-separated years of cardinalate and deanship.

Before the Western Schism

12th century

13th century

14th century

During the Western Schism

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Template:Col-start Template:Col-3 The obedience of Rome (1378–1415)

Template:Col-3 The obedience of Avignon (1378–1429)

Template:Col-3 The obedience of Pisa (1409–1415)

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After the Council of Constance

15th century

16th century

17th century

18th century

19th century

20th century

21st century

Image Name of Incumbent Life dates Cardinalate Deanship Notes
Birth Death and age
Joseph Ratzinger 16 April 1927 Template:Death date and age 27 June 1977
by Pope Paul VI		 30 November 2002 – 16 April 2005
Template:Small		 Elected Pope Benedict XVI in 2005
Retired in 2013 as pope
Angelo Sodano 23 November 1927 Template:Death date and age 28 June 1991
by Pope John Paul II		 30 April 2005 – 21 December 2019
(Template:Ayd)		 Retired in 2019
Giovanni Battista Re Template:Birth date and age 21 February 2001
by Pope John Paul II		 18 January 2020 – present (Template:Ayd) Elected to a five-year term, renewable once

Notes

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References

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Template:Dean of Cardinals Template:Holy See

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