Lay cardinal

Last updated
Teodolfo Mertel, the last man to have been created cardinal without first having been ordained a deacon. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1858, a few months after becoming a cardinal. Kardinal Theodulf Mertel.jpg
Teodolfo Mertel, the last man to have been created cardinal without first having been ordained a deacon. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1858, a few months after becoming a cardinal.

In the historical practice of the Catholic Church, a lay cardinal was a man whom the pope appointed to the College of Cardinals while still a layman. This appointment carried with it the obligation to be ordained to a clerical order, [1] meaning that "lay cardinal" was not a permanent state, but a term in reference to a man who was appointed cardinal prior to taking on the clerical state corresponding to that appointment. [2]

Contents

The current law of the Catholic Church is that a man must be first ordained at least a priest in order to be considered for appointment as a cardinal. [3]

List of laymen who were created cardinals

NameYear created cardinalHighest clerical order received
Pope Paul III 1493 Pope
Ferdinando I de' Medici 1562 Minor orders [4]
Maurice of Savoy 1607 Minor orders [4]
Francisco Gómez Rojas de Sandoval 1618 [5] Priest [6]
Ferdinand of Austria 1620 Minor orders [7]
Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino 1641 Minor orders
Marino Carafa di Belvedere  [ it ]1801Resigned before being ordained [8] [9]
Teodolfo Mertel 1858 Deacon [10]

Discontinuation

In 1917, Pope Benedict XV promulgated the first edition of the Code of Canon Law , which included a provision that a man must be first ordained a priest prior to being considered for appointment as a cardinal. [11]

According to The New York Times , Pope Paul VI considered making the French Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain a cardinal in 1965. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardinal (Catholic Church)</span> Senior church official

A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the pope and typically hold the title for life. Collectively, they constitute the College of Cardinals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College of Cardinals</span> Body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church

The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. As of 30 July 2023, there are 222 cardinals, of whom 120 are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are appointed by the pope for life. Changes in life expectancy partly account for historical increases in the size of the college.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Puzyna de Kosielsko</span> Polish cardinal

Prince Jan Duklan Maurycy Paweł Puzyna de Kosielsko was a Polish Roman Catholic Cardinal who was auxiliary bishop of Lwów from 1886 to 1895, and the bishop of Kraków from 1895 until his death in 1911. Named a Cardinal in 1901, he was known for his conservative views and authoritarianism.

In pectore is a term used in the Catholic Church for an action, decision, or document which is meant to be kept secret. It is most often used when there is a papal appointment to the College of Cardinals without a public announcement of the name of that cardinal. The pope reserves that name to himself. The Italian language version of the phrase – in petto – is sometimes used. When the name of a new cardinal is announced or made public, it is sometimes said to be published.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio María Rouco Varela</span> Spanish cardinal

Antonio María Rouco Varela is a Spanish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and a prominent member of its conservative wing. He served as Archbishop of Madrid from 1994 to 2014. He was made a cardinal in 1998. Cardinal Rouco Varela was president of the Episcopal Conference of Spain from 1999 to 2005 and again from 2008 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastiano Martinelli</span> Italian cardinal

Sebastiano Martinelli was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Congregation of Rites.

Giulio Canani was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.

Marcantonio Gozzadini was an Italian Roman Catholic Cardinal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giuseppe Firrao Jr.</span>

Giuseppe Firrao was an Italian Roman Catholic Cardinal.

Carlo Nocella was an Italian cardinal. He was Secretary of the Sacred Consistorial Congregation (1892–1899), Latin Patriarch of Antioch (1899–1901), and Latin Patriarch of Constantinople (1901–1903).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teodolfo Mertel</span> Italian judge, deacon and lay cardinal (1806–1899)

Teodolfo Mertel was a lawyer, deacon, and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the last cardinal not to have been ordained at least a priest.

Antonio Trivulzio the Elder (1457–1508) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cristoforo Vidman</span>

Cristoforo Vidman was an Italian Catholic cardinal of German descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bartolomé de la Cueva y Toledo</span> 16th-century Catholic cardinal

Bartolomé de la Cueva y Toledo was a Spanish Roman Catholic cardinal and bishop.

Andrea Cornaro (1511–1551) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal.

Cristoforo Guidalotti Ciocchi del Monte (1484–1564) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcantonio Bobba</span>

Marcantonio Bobba was an Italian Roman Catholic Bishop of Aosta, Italy and cardinal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francesco Sforza (cardinal)</span> Italian cardinal and bishop

Francesco Sforza (1562–1624) was an Italian cardinal and bishop. He was very influential in a number of conclaves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcello Santacroce</span>

Marcello Santacroce was a Roman Catholic cardinal who served as Bishop of Tivoli (1652–1674).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Innico Caracciolo (born 1607)</span> 17th-century Roman Catholic cardinal

Innico Caracciolo the Elder was a Roman Catholic priest, cardinal and archbishop.

References

  1. ↑ Cartwright, William Cornwallis (1868). On Papal Conclaves. Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas. p. 123. Laymen were named Cardinals only for twelve months, being bound within that period to take Deacon's orders
  2. ↑ Cartwright, William Cornwallis (1868). On Papal Conclaves. Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas. pp. 121–122. In all these cases, however, it is clear that some orders had been taken; and therefore, in the strict sense of the term, these Cardinals were no longer laymen.
  3. ↑ Code of Canon Law. 1983. Canon 351 §1.
  4. 1 2 Cartwright, William Cornwallis (1868). On Papal Conclaves. Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas. pp. 120–122.
  5. ↑ Feros, Antonio (2006). Kingship and Favoritism in the Spain of Philip III. Cambridge University Press. p. 241.
  6. ↑ "Francisco Gómez Cardinal Rojas de Sandoval". Catholic Hierarchy.
  7. ↑ Miranda, Salvador. "Consistory of July 29, 1619". The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. Florida International University.
  8. ↑ Miranda, Salvador. "Consistory of February 23, 1801". The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. Florida International University.
  9. ↑ "Mister Marino Carafa di Belvedere". Catholic Hierarchy.
  10. ↑ "Teodolfo Cardinal Mertel". Catholic Hierarchy.
  11. ↑ Code of Canon Law. 1917. Canon 232 §1.
  12. ↑ "Jacques Maritain Dies at 90". The New York Times . April 29, 1973. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.