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The hierarchy of the Catholic Church consists of its bishops, priests, and deacons. [1] [2] In the ecclesiological sense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy ordering" of the church, the Body of Christ, so to respect the diversity of gifts and ministries necessary for genuine unity. In canonical and general usage, it refers to ...
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.378 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2021. [update] [4] [7] It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization .
- 1.378 billion (2021)
The College of Cardinals, more formally called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. [1] As of 19 April 2024, there are 237 cardinals, of whom 127 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 ...
Mar 28, 2024 · cardinal, a member of the Sacred College of Cardinals, whose duties include electing the pope, acting as his principal counselors, and aiding in the government of the Roman Catholic Church throughout the world. Cardinals serve as chief officials of the Roman Curia (the papal bureaucracy), as bishops of major dioceses, and often as papal envoys.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
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Nov 12, 2017 · 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. The most solemn responsibility of the cardinals is to elect a new pope in a conclave, almost always from among themselves, when the Holy See is vacant. During the period between a pope's death or ...
The pope assigns most cardinal bishops the title of a suburbicarian church. That group elects a Dean of the College of Cardinals to be the head of the college, the first among equals. The pope assigns each cardinal priest and cardinal deacon a church or deaconry in Rome. All cardinal priests and almost all cardinal deacons are actually bishops.
Nov 28, 2020 · Among the most important duties of a cardinal are those that occur at the death of a pope. When the Holy See is vacant, the College of Cardinals is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Church. They also gather in a conclave to elect a new pope. In 1971, Paul VI decreed that no more than 120 cardinals – all who must be under ...
