View source for College of Cardinals

{{Short description|Body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{For|the current membership of the College of Cardinals|List of current cardinals}}
{{Confused|Cardinal College (disambiguation){{!}}Cardinal College|Council of Cardinals}}
{{Infobox legislature
|background_color=red
|name=College of Cardinals
|native_name={{small|Collegium Cardinalium}}
|native_name_lang=la
|legislature=[[Catholic Church]]
 | coa_pic            = Cardinal galero with fiocchi.svg
 | coa_res            = 70
|leader1_type=[[Dean of the College of Cardinals|Dean]]
|leader1=[[Giovanni Battista Re]]
|election1=18 January 2020
|leader2_type=Vice-Dean
|leader2=[[Leonardo Sandri]]
|election2=18 January 2020
|leader3_type=Protopriest
|leader3=[[Michael Michai Kitbunchu]]
|election3=14 December 2016
|leader4_type=Protodeacon
|leader4=[[Dominique Mamberti]]
|election4=28 October 2024
|members=245 (127 eligible to vote){{ubl|John Paul II: 41 (4)|Benedict XVI: 58 (19)|Francis: 146 (104)}}
|voting_system1=Appointment for life by the [[pope]]
|rules=Cardinals below the age of 80 may vote in the [[conclave]] to elect a pope
|structure1=
}}
[[File:John Paul II funeral long shot.jpg|thumb|Cardinals in red vestments during the [[Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II|funeral]] of [[Pope John Paul II]] in 2005|267x267px]]
{{Roman Catholicism}}

The '''College of Cardinals''' ({{Langx|la|Collegium Cardinalium}}), also called the '''Sacred College of Cardinals''', is the body of all [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinals]] of the [[Catholic Church]].<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P19.HTM 1983 CIC, Bk. II, Pt. II, Sec. I, Chap. III ''The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203041419/https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P19.HTM |date=3 December 2010 }}</ref> {{#section:List of current cardinals|as of}} [[List of current cardinals|there are {{#section:List of current cardinals|all}} cardinals]], of whom {{#section:List of current cardinals|electors}} are eligible to vote in a [[Papal conclave|conclave to elect a new pope]]. Appointed by the [[pope]], cardinals [[Life tenure|serve for life]], but become ineligible to participate in a [[papal conclave]] if they turn 80 before a [[Sede vacante|papal vacancy]] occurs.

Since the emergence of the College of Cardinals in the [[Early Middle Ages]], the size of the body has historically been limited by popes, [[ecumenical council]]s ratified by the pope, and the college itself. The total number of cardinals from 1099 to 1986 has been about 2,900, nearly half of whom were created after 1655.<ref name="Broderick, 1987, p. 11">Broderick, 1987, p. 11.</ref> This number excludes possible undocumented 12th-century cardinals and [[pseudocardinal]]s appointed during the [[Western Schism]] by pontiffs now considered to be [[antipope]]s, and subject to some other sources of uncertainty.<ref name="Broderick, 1987, p. 11"/>

==History==
{{See also|External cardinal#History}}
The word ''cardinal'' is derived from the Latin ''cardō'', meaning "hinge". The office of cardinal as it is known today slowly evolved during the first millennium from the clergy of Rome. "The first time that the term ''cardinal'' appears in the ''Liber Pontificalis'' is in the biography of [[Pope Stephen III]] when in the Roman Synod of 769, it was decided that the Roman pontiff should be elected from among the deacons and cardinal priests."<ref>{{cite book|last=Miranda|first=S.|title=The New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition|year=2003|publisher=Gale|location=Detroit}}{{page needed|date=December 2015}}</ref>

During the pontificate of [[Pope Stephen V]] (816–817), the three classes of the college that are present today began to form. Stephen V decreed that all cardinal bishops were bound to sing Mass on rotation at the high altar at [[Old St. Peter's Basilica|St. Peter's Basilica]], one per Sunday. The first class to form were the cardinal deacons, direct theological descendants of the original seven ordained in [[Acts of the Apostles|Acts]] 6, followed by the cardinal priests, and then the cardinal bishops.<ref name="visible"/>

In 845, the [[Council of Meaux–Paris]] "required bishops to establish cardinal titles or parishes in their towns and outlining districts".<ref>{{cite book|last=van Lierde|first=Peter C.|title=What Is a Cardinal?|year=1964|publisher=Hawthorne Books Inc.|location=New York|page=14}}</ref> At the same time, the popes began referring to the cardinal priests of Rome to serve as legates and delegates within Rome at ceremonies, synods, councils, etc., as well as abroad on diplomatic missions and councils. Those who were assigned to the latter roles were given the titles of {{lang|la|Legatus a Latere}} (Cardinal Legate) and {{lang|la|Missus Specialis}} (Special Missions).<ref name=visible>{{cite book|last=Noonan|first=James-Charles|title=The Church Visible: The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Roman Catholic Church, Revised Edition|year=2012|publisher=Sterling Ethos|location=New York|isbn=978-1-40278730-0|pages=8–9}}</ref>

The college played an integral part in various reforms within the Church as well, as early as the pontificate of [[Pope Leo IX]] (1050). In the 12th century, the [[Third Council of the Lateran]] declared that only cardinals could assume the papacy, a requirement that has since lapsed.<ref name="visible"/>

From the 13th to 15th centuries, the size of the College of Cardinals never exceeded thirty, although there were more than thirty parishes and diaconal districts which could potentially have a titular holder. [[Pope John XXII]] (1316–1334) formalized this norm by limiting the college to twenty members.<ref name="p65"/> In the ensuing century, increasing the size of the college became a method for the pope to raise funds for construction or war, cultivate European alliances, and dilute the strength of the college as a spiritual and political counterweight to papal supremacy.<ref name="p65"/>

===Size of the college===
The [[conclave capitulation]] of the [[1352 papal conclave]] limited the size of the college to 20, and decreed that no new cardinals could be created until the size of the college had dropped to 16. In 1353, [[Pope Innocent VI]] declared the capitulation invalid.<ref>Baumgartner, 2003, pp. 52–54.; Jugie, Pierre. Levillain, ed. 2002. "Cardinal." pp. 241–242.</ref>

By the end of the 14th century, the practice of having solely Italian cardinals had ceased. Between the 14th and 17th centuries, there was much struggle for the college between the cardinals and the reigning popes. Although some popes increased the number of cardinals in order to guarantee allies, [[Pope Benedict XII]] often refused to do so, and created six new cardinals on only one occasion, in 1338.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Schimmelpfennig |first=Bernhard |date=1976 |title=Zisterzienserideal und Kirchenreform. Benedikt XII. (1334–1342) als Reformpapst |journal=Zisterzienser-Studien |language=de |volume=3 |pages=37}}</ref>

The [[Council of Florence|Council of Basel]] (1431–1437), later transferred to Ferrara and then Florence, limited the size of the college to 24,<ref name="documents"/> as did the capitulation of the [[1464 papal conclave]].<ref>Burkle-Young, Francis A. 1998. "[https://cardinals.fiu.edu/election-paulii.htm The election of Pope Paul II (1464)]."</ref><ref>Baumgartner, 2003, p. 78-79.; Walsh, 2003, p. 109.</ref> The capitulations of the 1484 ([[Pope Innocent VIII]])<ref>Baumgartner, 2003, p. 82.</ref> and 1513 ([[Pope Leo X]]) conclaves contained the same restriction.<ref>Baumgartner, 2003, p. 92.</ref> The capitulation of the [[1492 papal conclave]] also contained a restriction on the creation of new cardinals.<ref>Burkle-Young, Francis A. 1998. "[https://cardinals.fiu.edu/election-alexandervi.htm The election of Pope Alexander VI (1492)] ."</ref>

The [[Fifth Council of the Lateran]] (1512–1517), despite its detailed regulation of the lives of cardinals, did not consider the size of the college.<ref name="documents">Miranda, Salvador. 1998. "[https://cardinals.fiu.edu/guide-xvi.htm Guide to documents and events (76–2005)]."</ref>

In 1517, [[Pope Leo X]] added another 31 cardinals, bringing the total to 65, so that he could have a supportive majority in the College of Cardinals. [[Pope Paul IV]] brought the total to 70. His immediate successor, [[Pope Pius IV]] (1559–1565), raised the limit to 76.<ref name="p65">Pham, 2004, p. 65.</ref> 

[[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor]] sought a limit of 26 and complained about the size and quality of the college to his legates to the [[Council of Trent]], and some French attendees advocated a limit of 24, but the council did not prescribe a limit to the size of the college.<ref name="documents"/> By the papacy of [[Pope Sixtus V]] (1585–1590), the number was set at 70 in 1586, divided among 14 cardinal deacons, 50 cardinal priests, and six cardinal bishops.<ref name="visible"/>

Popes respected that limit until [[Pope John XXIII]] increased the number of cardinals several times to 88 in January 1961.<ref name=nyt19610117>{{cite news|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=12 July 2018|date=17 January 1961|url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1961/01/17/118013184.pdf|first=Arnoldo|last=Cortesi|title= 4 New Cardinals Elevated in Rome}}</ref> [[Pope Paul VI]] continued this expansion, reaching 134 at [[Cardinals created by Paul VI|his third consistory]] in April 1969.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1969/03/29/90079167.html|access-date=12 July 2018|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=29 March 1969|title=Pope Names 33 Cardinals; Cooke Among 4 From U.S.|first=Robert C.|last=Doty}}</ref>

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the College of Cardinals [[internationalization|internationalized]].<ref name="lanuovabq">{{Cite web|language=it|url=https://lanuovabq.it/it/il-sacro-collegio-a-portata-di-clic|title=Il sacro collegio a portata di clic|website=lanuovabq.it|access-date=2025-01-30}}</ref>

===Number of electors===
The total size of the college lost its significance when Paul VI decided to allow only cardinals under the age of 80 to vote in a [[papal conclave|conclave]] from 1971 onward.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/la/motu_proprio/documents/hf_p-vi_motu-proprio_19701120_ingravescentem.html|title=''Ingravescentem aetatem''|access-date=12 July 2018|author=Pope Paul VI|date=21 November 1970|publisher= Libreria Editrice Vaticana|language=la}} See also: ''[[Ingravescentem aetatem]]''.</ref><ref name=nyt19701124>{{cite news|last1=Hoffman|first1=Paul|title=Voting for Popes Is Barred to Cardinals Over 80|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/24/archives/voting-for-popes-is-barred-to-cardinals-over-80-prelates-over-80.html|access-date=12 July 2018|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=24 November 1970}}</ref>{{efn|The exclusion of those who had turned 80 eliminated the voting rights of 25 cardinals. Before the new rule, there were 127 cardinals eligible to vote for a new pope, 38 of them Italian. Under the new rule, there were 102, 27 of them Italian.<ref name=nyt19701124/> Cardinal [[Alfredo Ottaviani]], then 80, said the pope's action was "an act committed in contempt of tradition that is centuries old" and was "throwing over board the bulk of his expert and gifted counselors".<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=12 July 2018|date = 27 November 1970|first= Alfred Jr.|last=Friendly|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/27/archives/ottaviani-deplores-papal-action-barring-vote-of-aged-cardinals.html|title=Ottaviani Deplores Papal Action Barring Vote of Aged Cardinals}}</ref> Cardinal [[Eugène Tisserant]], 86, objected that each cardinal's health should determine his fitness and suggested that 73-year-old Paul VI seemed frail.<ref>{{cite news|agency=[[UPI|UP]]|access-date=12 July 2018|language=es|title=Crítica de dos Cardenales contra el Papa Paulo VI|trans-title=Criticism of two Cardinals against Pope Paul VI|date=26 November 1970|url=http://www.geocities.ws/verdadunica/pablo_6/ochenta.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110090747/http://www.geocities.ws/verdadunica/pablo_6/ochenta.html|archive-date=10 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>}} In 1975, Paul VI set the maximum number of those under 80, the cardinal electors, at 120.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=12 July 2018|title=''Romano Pontifici Eligendo''|author=Pope Paul VI|date= 1 October 1975|publisher= [[Vatican Publishing House|Libreria Editrice Vaticana]]|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/it/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_p-vi_apc_19751001_romano-pontifici-eligendo.html}} See also: ''[[Romano Pontifici Eligendo]]''.</ref> His next consistory in 1976 brought the number of cardinal electors to its full complement of 120.<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=25 May 1976|access-date=12 July 2018|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/05/25/archives/archbishop-of-hanoi-among-20-new-cardinals-installed-by-pope.html|title=Archbishop of Hanoi Among 20 New Cardinals Installed by Pope}}</ref>

All of Paul VI's successors have at times exceeded the 120 maximum, except for [[Pope John Paul I]], who did not hold any consistories during his very short pontificate. [[Pope John Paul II]] reiterated the 120 maximum in 1996,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_22021996_universi-dominici-gregis.html|title=''Universi Dominici Gregis''|author=Pope John Paul II|date=22 February 1996|publisher=[[Vatican Publishing House|Libreria Editrice Vaticana]]|access-date=12 July 2018|author-link=Pope John Paul II}} See also: ''[[Universi Dominici Gregis]]''.; {{cite book|first= John L. Jr.|last=Allen|access-date=12 July 2018|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tHsltdTp6OgC&pg=PT90|title=Conclave: The Politics, Personalities, and Process of the Next Papal Election|publisher=Crown Publishing|isbn=9780385504560|date=23 July 2002}}{{page needed|date=July 2018}}</ref> yet his appointments to the college resulted in more than 120 cardinal electors in four of [[Cardinals created by John Paul II|his nine consistories]], reaching a high of 135 in February 2001<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/22/world/shaping-a-legacy-pope-installs-44-cardinals.html|title=Shaping a Legacy, Pope Installs 44 Cardinals |access-date=12 July 2018|date=22 February 2001|work=[[The New York Times]]|first=Alessandra|last=Stanley}}</ref> and again in October 2003.<ref>{{cite news|author-link=Frank Bruni|last1=Bruni|first1=Frank|title=Pope Confirms Cardinals, As Talk Turns to Succession|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/22/world/pope-confirms-cardinals-as-talk-turns-to-succession.html|access-date=12 July 2018|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=22 October 2003}}</ref>{{Efn|When exceeding the 120 limit, John Paul II approved "temporary derogations" of the rule so that all of those under 80 could participate in a conclave as electors.<ref>{{cite book|last=Pham|first=John-Peter|url= https://archive.org/details/heirsoffisherman00pham|url-access=registration|title=Heirs of the Fisherman: Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession|date= 2004|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|access-date=12 July 2018|page=[https://archive.org/details/heirsoffisherman00pham/page/66 66]|isbn=9780195346350}}; {{cite news|last=Mickens|first=Robert|title=Why Francis Needs to Expand the College of Cardinals|url=https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/letter-rome-118|access-date=12 July 2018|work=[[Commonweal (magazine)|Commonweal]]|date=3 April 2017|quote=In fact, John Paul II derogated from Paul's legislation several times and after consistories in 2001 and 2003, for example, there were as many as 135 electors.}}</ref>}} 

Three of [[Pope Benedict XVI]]'s [[Cardinals created by Benedict XVI|five consistories]] resulted in more than 120 cardinal electors, the high being 125 in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lastampa.it/2012/01/06/blogs/oltretevere/oltre-quota-7egF574E1GpVwZNsI8CZRL/pagina.html|work=La Stampa|language=it|access-date=12 July 2018|title=Oltre quota 120|trans-title=Beyond the 120 Quota|first=Giacomo|last=Galeazzi|date=6 January 2012}}; {{cite news|url=https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/pope-names-22-new-cardinals-including-dolan-and-obrien|work=National Catholic Reporter|access-date=12 July 2018|date=6 January 2012|title=Pope names 22 new cardinals, including Dolan and O'Brien|first=John L. Jr.|last=Allen}}</ref> [[Pope Francis]] exceeded the limit in [[Cardinals created by Francis|all 10 of his consistories]], reaching as high as 140 in December 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pullella |first=Philip |date=2023-09-30 |title=Pope Francis cements legacy, stamps Church future with new cardinals |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/pope-francis-cements-legacy-stamps-church-future-with-new-cardinals-2023-09-30/ |access-date=2023-10-01}}</ref>

===Orders===
Other changes to the college in the 20th century affected specific orders. The [[1917 Code of Canon Law]] decreed that, from then on, only those who were priests or bishops could be chosen as cardinals,<ref>[http://www.intratext.com/IXT/LAT0813/_PO.HTM canon 232 §1]</ref> thus officially closing the historical period in which some cardinals could be clergy who had only received first [[tonsure]] and [[Minor orders|minor order]], or the [[major orders]] of [[deacon]] and [[subdeacon]], without a further ordination to the priesthood.<ref>{{cite web| access-date =15 December 2017 | url=https://www.vatican.va/content/john-xxiii/la/motu_proprio/documents/hf_j-xxiii_motu-proprio_19610310_ad-suburbicarias.html | language= la | date= 10 March 1961 | author= Pope John XXIII| publisher= Libreria Editrice Vaticana| title= Ad suburbicarias dioeceses }}</ref>

In 1961, Pope John XXIII reserved to the pope the right to assign any member of the college to one of the suburbicarian sees and the rank of cardinal bishop. Previously only the senior cardinal priest and the senior cardinal deacon had the privilege of requesting such an appointment (''jus optionis'') when a vacancy occurred.<ref>{{cite web| access-date =15 December 2017 | url=https://www.vatican.va/content/john-xxiii/la/motu_proprio/documents/hf_j-xxiii_motu-proprio_19610310_ad-suburbicarias.html | language= la | date= 10 March 1961 | author= Pope John XXIII| publisher= Libreria Editrice Vaticana| title= Ad suburbicarias dioeceses }}</ref> In 1962, he established that all cardinals should be bishops, ending the identification of the order of cardinal deacon with cardinals who were not bishops.<ref>{{cite news | access-date = 25 October 2017 |date= 20 March 1962 | work = [[The New York Times]] |url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/03/20/82040660.pdf | first = Arnoldo | last = Cortesi | title= Pope Elevates 10 to Cardinal Rank}}</ref> He consecrated the twelve non-bishop members of the college himself.<ref>{{cite news | work= New York Times | url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/04/20/443411692.pdf | date= 20 April 1962| access-date = 25 October 2017 | title= Catholic Cardinals Now Are All Bishops | quote=From today therefore, perhaps for the first time in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, all Cardinals are Bishops.}}</ref>{{efn|John XXIII codified this and other rules for the College in ''Cum gravissima'' dated 15 April 1962.<ref>{{cite book| title=New Catholic Encyclopedia| date=2002|publisher=Gale |page=106| volume=3|edition=2nd| editor-first=Thomas |editor-last=Carson}}</ref> On occasion a cardinal designate receives a dispensation from this rule. Pope John Paul II granted the first dispensation from this requirement to [[Henri de Lubac]] in 1983.<ref>{{cite book| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=mfxdCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT151 | title= A Church of Passion and Hope: The Formation of An Ecclesial Disposition from Ignatius Loyola to Pope Francis and the New Evangelization | access-date = 15 December 2017 | date= 2015| publisher= Bloomsbury T&T Clark|  first = Gill K. |last= Goulding  | isbn= 9780567664686 }}{{page needed|date=December 2017}}</ref>}} 

In February 1965, Pope Paul VI decided that an [[Eastern-rite Catholic|Eastern Rite]] Patriarch who is created a cardinal would no longer be assigned a titular church in Rome, but maintain his see and join the order of cardinal bishops, the rank previously reserved to the six cardinals assigned to the [[suburbicarian diocese]]s.<ref>{{cite news | date=26 January 1965 | access-date = 26 October 2017 | url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/01/26/96697707.pdf | work= New York Times | title = Pope Designates 27 New Cardinals}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | work = [[The New York Times]]| url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/02/23/97186241.pdf | access-date = 26 October 2017 | date= 23 February 1965| title = Pontiff Installs 27 New Cardinals}}</ref>{{efn|Paul VI codified this and other rules for the College in ''Ad pupuratorum patrem'' dated 11 February 1965.<ref name=jedin>{{cite book|editor-last1=Jedin|editor-first1=Hubert|title=The Church in the Modern Age|date=1981|volume=X| publisher=Burn & Oates|location=London|page=168|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LjLQwToInS4C&pg=PA168|access-date=2 November 2017|isbn=9780860120926}}</ref> The one Eastern Rite Patriarch already a cardinal, [[Ignatius Gabriel I Tappouni]], [[Syriac Catholic Patriarchs of Antioch|Patriarch of Antioch]] and a cardinal since 1935, resigned his cardinal's titular church [[Santi Apostoli, Rome|Santi XII Apostoli]] and joined the order of cardinal bishops.}} He also required that the suburbicarian bishops elect one of themselves as the [[Dean of the College of Cardinals|dean]] and vice-dean of the college, instead of allowing them to select any member of the college.<ref name=jedin/>{{efn|Paul VI codified this in ''Sacro cardinalium consilio'' dated 26 February 1965.<ref name=jedin/>}} In June 2018, [[Pope Francis]] eased the rules governing the rank of cardinal bishop to open that rank to anyone of the pope's choosing, granting such cardinals the same privileges as those assigned suburbicarian sees.<ref>{{cite news | date=26 June 2018 | url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2018-06/cardinals-parolin-sandri-ouellet-filoni-order-bishops.html | work= Vatican News | title = Pope makes changes within College of Cardinals}}</ref>

===Other modifications===
Pope Francis adjusted the rules regarding the dean in December 2019, so he now serves for a term of five years, which can be renewed by the pope. No change was made regarding the vice-dean.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lettera Apostolica in forma di "Motu proprio" riguardante l'Ufficio del Decano del Collegio Cardinalizio |url=http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2019/12/21/1025/02090.html |access-date=21 December 2019 |date=21 December 2019 |language=it}}</ref>

The resignation or removal of members has been a relatively rare phenomenon. Between 1791 and 2018, only one was removed from the college{{Mdash}}[[Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne]] in 1791{{Mdash}} and five resigned: Tommaso Antici in 1798, Marino Carafa di Belvedere in 1807, [[Carlo Odescalchi]] in 1838, [[Louis Billot]] in 1927, and [[Theodore McCarrick|Theodore Edgar McCarrick]] in 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Grossman |first1=Cathy Lynn |title=Catholic cardinals, princes of the church, rarely quit |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/02/25/conclave-resigns-cardinal-obrien-history/1947143/ |access-date=1 August 2018 |work=[[USA Today]] |date=25 February 2013 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=Povoledo>{{cite news |last1=Povoledo |first1=Elisabetta |last2=Otterman |first2=Sharon |title=Cardinal Theodore McCarrick Resigns Amid Sexual Abuse Scandal |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/28/world/europe/cardinal-theodore-mccarrick-resigns.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=28 July 2018|url-access=registration}}</ref>

===Historical data===
For the [[Middle Ages]], sources concerning the size of the College of Cardinals are most frequently those relating to [[papal conclave|papal elections and conclaves]].<ref name="b13">Broderick, 1987, p. 13.</ref>
{{Incomplete list|date=February 2013}}
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed"
!  width="*" | Year
!  width="*" | Size of the college
|-
|1099
|18
|-
|1118
|46
|-
|1119
|46 or 47
|-
|1124
|44
|-
|1130
|44
|-
|1145
|44
|-
|1198
|26
|-
|1216
|26
|-
|1227
|18
|-
|1241
|12 or 13
|-
|1244
|6
|-
|1261
|8
|-
|1264
|21
|-
|1276
|10
|-
|1277
|7
|-
|1288
|10
|-
|1294 (July)
|11
|-
|1294 (December)
|21
|-
|1303
|18
|-
|1304
|19
|-
|1312
|16
|-
|1316
|30
|-
|1327
|16
|-
|1338
|16
|-
|1348
|16
|-
|1361
|17
|-
|1371
|30
|-
|1374
|18
|-
! colspan=2|Source: Broderick, 1987, pp.&nbsp;13–14.
|}

{| border="1" cellpadding="3" align="left" width="250px" style="border-collapse: collapse;"
|+ '''Italian-born cardinals as percentage of the total college during each conclave'''
|-
!May 2025
!20.32
|-
!style="background:#ccc;"|[[2025 conclave|2025]]
!style="background:#f0f0f0;" align="center"|20.24
|-
!style="background:#f0f0f0;"|[[2013 conclave|2013]]
|align="center"|22.60
|-
!style="background:#f0f0f0;"|[[2005 conclave|2005]]
|align="center"|17.09
|-
!style="background:#f0f0f0;"|[[October 1978 conclave|October 1978]]
|align="center"|22.50
|-
!style="background:#f0f0f0;"|[[August 1978 conclave|August 1978]]
|align="center"|22.80
|-
!style="background:#f0f0f0;"|[[1963 conclave|1963]]
|align="center"|35.36
|-
!style="background:#f0f0f0;"|[[1958 conclave|1958]]
|align="center"|35.80
|-
!style="background:#f0f0f0;"|[[1939 conclave|1939]]
|align="center"|54.80
|-
!style="background:#f0f0f0;"|[[1922 conclave|1922]]
|align="center"|51.60
|-
!style="background:#f0f0f0;"|[[1914 conclave|1914]]
|align="center"|50.76
|-
!style="background:#f0f0f0;"|[[1903 conclave|1903]]
|align="center"|56.25
|-
!style="background:#f0f0f0;"|[[1878 conclave|1878]]
|align="center"|65.57
|-
!style="background:#f0f0f0;"|[[1846 conclave|1846]]
|align="center"|98.00
|-
!style="background:#f0f0f0;"|[[1830–1831 conclave|1830–1831]]
|align="center"|80.00
|-
!style="background:#f0f0f0;"|[[1829 conclave|1829]]
|align="center"|82.00
|-
!style="background:#f0f0f0;"|[[1823 conclave|1823]]
|align="center"|87.76
|-
!style="background:#f0f0f0;"|[[1799–1800 conclave|1799–1800]]
|align="center"|85.71
|}
{{Clear}}

==Functions==
A function of the college is to advise the [[pope]] about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary [[Papal consistory|consistory]],<ref>CIC 1983, can. 349</ref> a term derived from the [[Roman Emperor]]'s crown council. It attends various functions as a matter of protocol, for example, during the [[canonization]] process.

It convenes on the death or resignation of a pope as a [[papal conclave]] to elect a successor.<ref name="universi">John Paul II, Ap. Const. ''[[Universi Dominici gregis]]'' in ''AAS'' 88 (1996)</ref> It is then restricted to eligible cardinals under the age limit of 80, which was set for the first time in 1970 by [[Pope Paul VI]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Walsh|first1=Michael|title=The Cardinals: Thirteen Centuries of the Men Behind the Papal Throne|date=2011|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|location=Grand Rapids, Michigan |page=[https://archive.org/details/cardinalsthirtee0000wals/page/17 17]|url=https://archive.org/details/cardinalsthirtee0000wals|url-access=registration|access-date=1 March 2016|isbn=9780802829412}}</ref>

The college has no ruling power, except during the ''[[sede vacante]]'' (papal vacancy) period. Even then, its powers are extremely limited by the terms of the current law, which is laid down in the [[apostolic constitution]] ''[[Universi Dominici gregis]]'' (1996) and the [[Fundamental Law of Vatican City State]].

Historically, cardinals were the clergy serving parishes of the city of Rome under its [[Bishop of Rome|bishop]], the pope. The college acquired particular importance following the crowning of [[Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry IV]] as [[King of Germany]] and [[Holy Roman Emperor]] at the age of six, after the unexpected death of [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry III]] in 1056. Until then, the [[Holy See]] was often bitterly fought for among Rome's aristocratic families. External secular authorities had significant influence over who was to be appointed pope, and the Holy Roman Emperor in particular had the special power to appoint him.<ref>Broderick, J.F. 1987. "The Sacred College of Cardinals: Size and Geographical Composition (1099–1986)." ''Archivum historiae Pontificiae'', '''25''': 8.</ref>

This was significant as the aims and views of the Holy Roman Emperor and the Church did not always coincide. Churchmen involved in what has become known as the [[Gregorian Reform]] took advantage of the new king's lack of power and in 1059 reserved the election of the pope to the clergy of the Church in Rome. This was part of a larger power struggle, which became known as the [[Investiture Controversy]], as the Church and the Emperor each attempted to gain more control over the appointment of bishops, and in doing so wield more influence in the lands and governments they were appointed to.<ref>Broderick, J.F. 1987. "The Sacred College of Cardinals: Size and Geographical Composition (1099–1986)." ''Archivum historiae Pontificiae'', '''25''': 8.</ref>

Reserving the election of a new pope as an exclusive matter of the cardinals represented a significant shift in the balance of power in the Early Medieval world. From the beginning of the 12th century, the College of Cardinals started to meet as such, when the cardinal bishops, cardinal priests and cardinal deacons ceased acting as separate groups.<ref>Broderick, J.F. 1987. "The Sacred College of Cardinals: Size and Geographical Composition (1099–1986)." ''Archivum historiae Pontificiae'', '''25''': 8.</ref>

===Officials===
{{Hatnote|"Cardinal vice-dean" and "Cardinal Vice-Dean" redirect here.}}
In the Catholic church, the [[dean of the College of Cardinals]] and the '''cardinal vice-dean'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> are the president and vice-president of the college. Both are elected by and from the [[cardinal bishop]]s (cardinals of the highest order, including those holding [[suburbicarian diocese]]s), but the election requires papal confirmation. Except for presiding and delegating administrative tasks, they have no authority over the cardinals, acting as {{lang|la|[[primus inter pares]]}} (first among equals).

The [[Cardinal Secretary of State|secretary of Roman Curia]], the [[camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church]], the [[vicar general of Rome]], and the patriarchs of [[Patriarch of Venice|Venice]] and [[Patriarch of Lisbon|Lisbon]], are usually cardinals, with few, usually temporary, exceptions. The [[Fundamental Law of Vatican City State]] requires that appointees to the state's [[legislative body]], the [[Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State]], be cardinals.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.vaticanstate.va/NR/rdonlyres/3F574885-EAD5-47E9-A547-C3717005E861/2522/FundamentalLaw1.pdf | title=Fundamental Law of Vatican City State | author=Pope John Paul II | date=26 November 2000 | access-date=11 April 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226203911/http://www.vaticanstate.va/NR/rdonlyres/3F574885-EAD5-47E9-A547-C3717005E861/2522/FundamentalLaw1.pdf | archive-date=26 February 2008 | df=dmy-all | author-link=Pope John Paul II }}</ref>

===Electing the pope===
{{Further|Papal conclave|List of papal elections}}
{{Politics of the Holy See}}
Under the terms of [[Pope Paul VI]]'s 1970 ''[[motu proprio]]'' ''[[Ingravescentem aetatem]]'', cardinals who reached the age of 80 before a conclave opened had no vote in papal elections. [[Pope John Paul II]]'s ''[[Universi Dominici gregis]]'' of February 1996 modified that rule slightly, so that cardinals who have reached the age of 80 before the day the [[Holy See|see]] becomes vacant are not eligible to vote. This modification was put in place to prevent the date of the conclave being purposely scheduled or manipulated to include or exclude certain cardinals based on their age.<ref name="universi" /> 

[[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Canon law]] sets the general qualifications for a man to be appointed bishop quite broadly, requiring someone of faith and good reputation, at least thirty-five years old and with a certain level of education and five years' experience as a priest.<ref>{{cite web |title=Code of Canon Law, Chapter II: Bishops |url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P1D.HTM |access-date=29 May 2016 |publisher=The Holy See |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219141242/https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P1D.HTM |archive-date=19 February 2008 |df=dmy }}</ref> The cardinals have nevertheless consistently elected the Bishop of Rome from among their own membership since the death of [[Pope Urban VI]] in 1389, the last non-cardinal to become pope. The conclave rules specify the procedures to be followed should they elect someone residing outside Vatican City or not yet a bishop.<ref>''Universi Dominici gregis'', 88–90</ref>

Of the 117 cardinals under the age of 80 at the time of [[Pope Benedict XVI]]'s resignation, 115 participated in the [[2013 papal conclave|conclave of March 2013]] that elected [[Pope Francis]] to succeed him. The two who did not participate were [[Julius Riyadi Darmaatmadja]] (for health reasons) and [[Keith O'Brien]] (following allegations of sexual misconduct).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21572724|title=Cardinal Keith O'Brien resigns as Archbishop|newspaper=BBC News|date=25 February 2013|access-date=25 February 2013|author=Pigott, Robert}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Bishop (Catholic Church)#Cardinal|Bishop (Catholic Church)]]
* [[List of camerlengos of the Sacred College of Cardinals|Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals]]
* [[Catholic Church by country]]
* [[Catholic Church hierarchy#Cardinals|Catholic Church hierarchy]]
* [[Index of Vatican City-related articles]]
* [[List of the creations of the cardinals]]
* [[List of current cardinals]]
* [[List of titular churches]]
* [[Palatinus (Catholic Church)]]
* [[Papabile]]
* [[Protopriest]]
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
* Baumgartner, Frederic J. 2003. ''Behind Locked Doors: A History of the Papal Elections''. Palgrave Macmillan. {{ISBN|0-312-29463-8}}.
* Broderick, J.F. 1987. "The Sacred College of Cardinals: Size and Geographical Composition (1099–1986)." ''Archivum historiae Pontificiae'', '''25''': 7–71.
* Levillain, Philippe, ed. 2002. ''The Papacy: An Encyclopedia''. Routledge. {{ISBN|0-415-92228-3}}.
* Pham, John-Peter. 2004. ''Heirs of the Fisherman: Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession''. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-517834-3}}.
* Walsh, Michael. 2003. ''The Conclave: A Sometimes Secret and Occasionally Bloody History of Papal Elections''. Rowman & Littlefield. {{ISBN|1-58051-135-X}}.

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/cardinali_index_en.html The College of Cardinals]—Holy See Press Office
* [http://www.gcatholic.org/hierarchy/cardinals-consistory.htm GCatholic.org]—extensive information on all cardinals since the 17th century
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060829055027/http://www.catholic-pages.com/hierarchy/cardinals_list.asp Cardinals of the Catholic Church]}}—sortable list, out of date
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/event/consist.html Catholic-Hierarchy.org], with entry into extensive databases.{{Self-published source|date=June 2015}}
*{{cite web |url=https://collegeofcardinalsreport.com/about-us/|title=Cardinalium Collegii Recensio|language=en-US|author1=Edward Pentin|author2=[[Diane Montagna]] }} 

{{Cardinals of the Catholic Church}}
{{Dean of Cardinals}}
{{Papacy}}
{{Holy See}}
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