What’s a cardinal? The ‘princes’ of the Church electing a new pope

Cardinals arrive to attend the Ninth Novemdiale mass at St Peter’s Basilica in The Vatican, on May 4, 2025. Agence France-Presse

VATICAN CITY — Cardinals from all over the world are poised to elect a successor to Pope Francis at the conclave that begins Wednesday.

But what exactly is a cardinal?

High dignitary

A cardinal (from the Latin “cardinalis” or principal) is a high dignitary of the Catholic Church chosen by the pope to assist him in his government.

The main dicasteries — the Holy See equivalent of government ministries — are, for the most part, headed by cardinals.

Their exact title is cardinal of the Holy Roman Church.

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Gathered in the College of Cardinals, presided over by a dean — currently the 91-year-old Italian Giovanni Battista Re — they form the top echelon of the Catholic Church.

Cardinal being a title and not a function, many of them are bishops of dioceses around the world, while others who hold positions in the Curia, the Vatican’s government, live in Rome.

Pope-makers

There are 252 cardinals but only those aged under 80 vote for a new pope in the conclave — cardinal electors.

Currently 133 cardinals are eligible to vote for a new leader for the Church in the event of a papal death or resignation.

Held in the renowned Sistine Chapel, the conclave is highly secretive and follows strict rules and ceremonial procedures.

Created not named

Cardinals are not named but “created” by papal decree.

The term derives from Roman times, and implies that the recipient is elevated in rank because of his qualities, but not appointed to any vacant post or office.

READ: Cardinals lay groundwork for conclave, hope for quick vote

Under Vatican rules, the pontiff can create cardinals out of men who are “truly outstanding in doctrine, virtue, piety and prudence in practical matters”.

Cardinal’s red

Cardinals wear clothes of scarlet red, a color once associated with the Roman Senate, an emblem of power, prestige and authority, and later representing the blood of Christ.

They also wear a ring, traditionally a sapphire, as well as a pectoral cross, the crosier, or staff, and the traditional headdress, the mitre.

A political appointment

The creation of cardinals reflects the political views of the pontiff, who normally uses this power to shape the selection of his own successor.

During his pontificate, Francis made a point of appointing more cardinals from the “peripheries” of the Catholic world, places previously overlooked by Rome.

Declining privileges

Cardinals, who have the title of “Eminence”, are second only to the pope in the Church’s hierarchy and can officiate in all churches outside Rome. They may also be buried in churches.

The Second Vatican Council considerably reduced the privileges granted to the Church’s most senior prelates, who previously used to reserve an entire compartment when traveling by train and have a throne room in their residence.

Francis went further, deciding in 2023 that cardinals could no longer enjoy Vatican apartments rent-free.

Two years earlier he had reduced their salaries to help mitigate the damage wrought by the coronavirus pandemic on the Holy See’s finances.