But, posting for sensationalism something that appears at this point, to be your supposition, is your right, I guess. Sad.
Posted on 04/06/2005 10:35:07 AM PDT by CitizenM
Among the College of Bishops, it has been a longstanding tradition of the Church, to raise certain bishops and archbishops to the College of Cardinals. The Cardinals have traditionally been seen as the "Princes of the Church". Because of their special devotion and holiness, they are called to assist the Holy Father in the governance of the Church. Most Cardinals are either Archbishops of the largest dioceses in their countries or regions, or the heads of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia (the Pope's Ministers of State, if you like).
Of course, the singular role that the Cardinals play is that of electing a new Pontiff when the See of Peter is vacant (see Electing a Pope). To them belongs this honour and responsibility.
Because the Cardinals are called to help the Pope in his leadership of the Church, they are also linked in a special way to the Diocese of Rome. A small number of Cardinals are made the titular bishops (ie, in name only) of the suburbicarian sees surrounding Rome. In addition, each of the remaining Cardinals is given the honorary "governance" of one of the Parish Churches of Rome. Whenever they visit Rome, they are encouraged to minister to their community in Rome. Strictly speaking, it is the Cardinal who is the "parish priest" of these parishes, not the priest who fulfils that role in reality. However, in real terms, the Cardinal's position in that church is only titular.
There are three degrees within the College of Cardinals: · Cardinal Bishops; · Cardinal Priests; and · Cardinal Deacons.
This does not correspond to their actual degree of orders (ie, whether they are a bishop, priest or deacon) but to their position within the College of Cardinals. Cardinals appointed from dioceses around the world are made Cardinal Priests. Cardinals appointed from within the Roman Curia are made Cardinal Deacons. However, after having been a Cardinal Deacon for 10 years, the Cardinal can petition the Pope to be promoted to Cardinal Priest. The distinction between the three degrees of Cardinals has little practical significance except in determining the order and rank for ceremonial processions.
Also, during the period after a Pope dies and before a new one is elected, it is one's position within the College of Cardinals that determines one's power to exercise certain powers if the Dean of the College of Cardinals or Camerlengo are unable to do so.
Pope John Paul II most recently appointed new Cardinals to the College in 2003 when he created 42 new cardinals, including two that he had been reserving "in pectore" from a previous Consistory. This means that they were appointed, but only he knows who they were (usually to protect the cardinal in question where they find themselves living in a situation of persecution, eg, in China). If the Pope had died before their names were revealed, they would not have been able to claim their "red hat". They do not have the right to vote in Conclave while their names have not been revealed, but once revealed, their seniority in the College dates from the date they were named "in pectore" not from the date their names were revealed.
This was Pope John Paul's ninth ordinary public consistory for the naming of cardinals. In the previous six consistories, he created 137 cardinals. The previous consistories were held on: June 30, 1979 (15 cardinals, of whom one was "in pectore"); February 2, 1983 (18); May 25, 1985 (28); June 28, 1988 (24: he had named 25 but theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar died on June 26); June 28, 1991 (22); November 26, 1994 (30); 18 February 1998 (20) and 2001 (44).
Pope Paul VI's Apostolic Constitution "Romano Pontifici Eligendo," promulgated on October 1, 1975, established numerical limits for the College of Cardinals. It stated that cardinals who had reached the age of 80 could not enter into conclave, and that the number of electors could not go beyond 120. Pope John Paul II continued this limitation when he revoked "Romano Pontifici Eligendo" and introduced a new revised set of rules for papal elections in "Universi Dominici Gregis" in 1996. However, in the 2001 Consistory and again in 2003, the Holy Father ignored the limit he had set and appointed a large number of Cardinals, taking the number of Cardinals under 80 (and therefore eligible to vote) to 137.
* indicates electors
§ indicates new Cardinals (2003 Consistory).
Cardinal Bishops
Total Cardinal Bishops (including Patriarch-Cardinals): 9
Cardinal Priests
Total Cardinal Priests: 147
Cardinal Deacons
Total Cardinal Deacons: 27
TOTAL CARDINAL ELECTORS: 117 (those eligible to vote)
TOTAL CARDINALS: 183
All figures correct as at Wednesday, April 06, 2005 [Except where Cardinals have recently died and have not yet been removed from the database]
This is a link to the Vatican Television Network which will broadcast Pope John Paul, The Great's Funeral-
Friday: 10am Rome time - 4am Eastern US time.
Live Transmission of The Funeral of PJP,II
Rome's Next Choice? [TIME: "Arch-Conservative" Ratzinger is top Papabile]
Lent in the Vatican: The Pope, the Curia, and the Conclave ( Who's On First )
WILL INDIAN PONTIFF SUCCEED POPE?
POPE: 117 CARDINALS ON STANDBY FOR CONCLAVE
Papal Transition (what happens between one pope and the next)
Vatican Bracing for Papal Succession
When Sad Day Comes, Eyes of World Will Be on Papal Selection [How next Pope will be chosen]
Mahony Flies To Rome For Solemnities, Conclave (Cardinal from Los Angeles to Visit Vatican)
Interview with Cardinal José Saraiva Martins
Cardinals Head to Vatican for Conclave
Pope's Election Shocked Communist Poland ~~ On an icy October night a quarter-century ago.....
The Next Pope? Twenty leading possibilities
The quest stands upon the edge of a knife... (Hewitt on the Conclave)
Date for election of new pope set (April 18)
The College of Cardinals - What is it, why is it, what they do, and who they are.
Looks like about 8 or so USA cardinals and about 30 or so Italians.
The US is much larger in terms of Catholic population, isn't it.....why the disparity?
Why are some Cardinals not allowed to vote? I thought that only those 70 and younger could vote, but it doesn't seem to fit with the data.
Ahh missed that, 80 is the cutoff. Thanks.
Most of these guys are Cardinals because of Church politics, who they know, and their graduate Roman degrees.
Special devotion and holiness are well down the list of qualifications.
Look at our Bishops. Look at their performance in the recent homosexual scandals. I find only a handful I'd consider worthy of elevation. As a group they are a huge disappointment.
But, posting for sensationalism something that appears at this point, to be your supposition, is your right, I guess. Sad.
There's nothing "negative" about Church politics; there is politics involved in everything.
A man is tabbed for higher church office when his bishop sends him to study, as a seminarian or priest, at a Roman university. From that time on, he stands a good chance of being named a bishop himself. If he happens to come under the watchful eye of a "kingmaker" (like Cardinal Bernardin in the 70s and 80s, or Cardinal Rigali at the present time), he can get one of the big sees that carries the red hat with it (New York, Chicago, LA).
Them's the facts. They are neither positive nor negative.
That is not a fact that you have substantiated. You simply stated the process in your second post, but not a reference documenting that the selection is because of "who they know, etc." Those are your own thoughts, I suspect.
Again, where is the link to this statement? I do not see a definitive reference to this being so in your second post. Again, you offered the process, but not affirmation that this statement made by you, is true. It is your suspicion, or "spin" on the process. You do not know either of these statements to be "fact." If this is written anywhere that what you stated is true fact, please reference it.
Sure, there are politics involved in every aspect of life - everyone is human. However, you posted this to raise some negative doubt in people's minds, and I can't fathom the reason why, at this time. Again, I wonder if you have some personal grudge over the process??
And, if you note, most of the College of Cardinals are not Bishops, some are not even Priests. I personally know a very, very political Bishop, (in a very large major city Diocese) who also is a very, very close friend of John Paul, II, and schooled with him. The Bishop has not been named a Cardinal, (much to his dismay, I am sure, given his close association to PJPII) and he is not even in Rome now, but tending to some important US matters. IMHO success at the "politics" of the Church does not always guarantee advancement. Nor does it take precedence over "special devotion and holiness."
So, if you have proof of your statement (and not just a description of the process) - that is what I was suggesting you should post. You seemed to dance around the request by offering procedure, and expecting it to give validity to your statement. Sorry, just doesn't cut it - kinda like the claims made that "Bush got special favors in the ANG..." And we all know how valid those statements were.
Where on earth did you get this? The only non-bishop that I'm aware of in the College is Avery Dulles. And every single Cardinal is also a priest.
As for "proof" that Church politics propels these men forward, just look at the American cardinals.
Are these men, who covered up for criminal sexual predators, "holy" men?
If this bothers you, I'm sorry.
Why don't you just pray a little for some "special devotion and holiness" for a while and a better understanding of your Catholic faith (if you are a Catholic - if not, why are you bothering with this thread)?
This post was not meant for a debate about the problems in the church, of which I agree, there are many. What is your problem? Is it raining where you live today or what?
Read the post which purpose is to list the duties, etc. of the College of Cardinals, and to identify them. If you read it all...which you evidently did not, you would not be arguing my post that some of the Cardinals are not Bishops or Priests.
As shown above: There are 47 Cardinal Deacons in the College of Cardinals.
What is a Deacon? There are three kinds of ordained ministers in the Catholic Church. The first is the bishop, who is responsible for the spiritual and pastoral care of the people of a diocese. He is assisted by priests and deacons. Traditionally deacons were ordained to preach, to assist the bishop in the celebration of the Eucharist, and to take responsibility for the Church's ministry of Charity (the care of the poor and the marginalized).
The first reference made to deacons in the Scriptures is found in the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 6. At one time diaconate and priesthood were quite separate and distinct. At a certain stage in the Church's history, the ministry of deacons gradually became absorbed into the ministry of priests. From that time onwards, it became the practice that men were ordained as deacons on the way to priesthood. This is known as the transitional diaconate.
Since the second Vatican Council, the diaconate has been restored as a distinct ministry in many countries.
They preside at sacraments. They witness the sacrament of Matrimony. They perform the sacrament of Baptism. They preside at wake, funeral and committal services. Others serve in administrative positions within the diocese, like The Chancellor, Superintendent of Schools, school principal, Associate director of Retreat Houses, etc.
Many deacons are married, yet others are single and celibate. Most depend on secular employment to provide for themselves and their families.
If you have ever attended mass you have seen that at liturgical functions, deacons are recognized by their stole. This is a strip of material, about three - four inches wide, worn over the left shoulder, draping to the right side and down the side of the right leg. There are two basic stories as to its origin. The first is that messengers in olden times wore such a cloth, so that as they approached others, they could be identified by the color markings. Another story is that the stole is likened to the cloth a waiter would use, which he kept thrown over his shoulder until needed. The symbolism here is that deacons, too, are servants, waiting on others.
If you are basing this on the fact that, above, cardinals are listed as cardinal bishops, cardinal priests, and cardinal deacons... so you know, the titles Cardinal Bishop, Cardinal Priest, and Cardinal Deacon are designations of a kind of ceremonial rank within the College of Cardinals. Almost all of the Cardinal Priests and Cardinal Deacons are, in fact, bishops--and every single member of the College of Cardinals is a priest.
The College of Cardinals was originally (albeit briefly) composed of priests and deacons from the Diocese of Rome--hence the titles within the College.
There are three degrees within the College of Cardinals: · Cardinal Bishops; · Cardinal Priests; and · Cardinal Deacons.
This does not correspond to their actual degree of orders (ie, whether they are a bishop, priest or deacon) but to their position within the College of Cardinals. Cardinals appointed from dioceses around the world are made Cardinal Priests. Cardinals appointed from within the Roman Curia are made Cardinal Deacons. However, after having been a Cardinal Deacon for 10 years, the Cardinal can petition the Pope to be promoted to Cardinal Priest. The distinction between the three degrees of Cardinals has little practical significance except in determining the order and rank for ceremonial processions.
Read that paragraph again. Then read it again. Then, read it again until you understand it.
Every cardinal in the college is a bishop, save one, Avery Dulles. And every single one of them is a priest.
There is not one deacon in the bunch.
The different designations indicate their rank within the college, and has nothing to do with Holy Orders.
I am a Roman Catholic deacon. I have as much chance at being a cardinal as you do.
I thought I had heard that also. He is 76. That is a shame, he could have cast a vote. According to his bio, among other things "Has been well-known as an advocate of ecumenism. He was the first Catholic archbishop in the Philippines to have been invited to address Protestant, Muslim and other non-Catholic groups."
Still, your testimony to the Catholic faith, and your disparagement against the College of Cardinals does not do justice to the fact that you claim to be a deacon. What kind of spirituality do you practice that you can take the whole of the College of Cardinals and claim that they hold those positions simply because of political ploys? And, then, relegate the topic to one about problems in the Church? As I suspected, you have some deep-seated resentment. I wonder if your Priest is aware of your animosity about your situation and your faith?
And, I quite agree, I have absolutely no – nada – none chance at becoming a Cardinal. My proof? I am a woman.
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