Cardinal (Catholicism)

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A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually a bishop, of the Catholic Church, a member of the College of Cardinals which as a body elects a new pope. Cardinals are appointed by the pope during a consistory of the College. The full canonical name of the rank is Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. Cardinals are collectively referred to as the College of Cardinals. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the aforementioned Sacred College and making themselves available individually or collectively if the Pope requests their counsel. Most cardinals have additional duties, such as leading a diocese or archdiocese or running a department of the Roman Curia.

A cardinal's other main function is electing the Pope, whenever by death or resignation the see of Rome becomes vacant. During the sede vacante, the period between a Pope's death and the election of his successor, the day-to-day governance of the Church as a whole is in the hands of the College of Cardinals. The right to enter the conclave of cardinals who elect the Pope is now limited to those not over 80 years old on the day of the Pope's death. In 1059 the right of electing the Pope was reserved to the principal clergy of Rome and the bishops of the seven "suburbicarian" sees. This gave these an importance that led to the term "cardinal", from Latin cardo (hinge), meaning "principal", "chief", being applied to them. In the twelfth century the practice of appointing ecclesiastics from outside Rome as cardinals (members of the principal clergy of the see of Rome) began, with each of them being assigned a church in Rome as his "titular church" or being linked with one of the suburbicarian dioceses. This practice continues today.