College of Cardinals facts for kids

Quick facts for kids College of Cardinals Collegium Cardinalium
Catholic Church
Leadership
Dean	Luis Antonio Tagle Since 9 October 2026
Vice-Dean	Leonardo Sandri Since 18 January 2020
Protopriest	Michael Michai Kitbunchu Since 14 December 2016
Protodeacon	Dominique Mamberti Since 28 October 2024
Seats	242 (118 eligible to vote)
Elections
Voting system	Appointment for life by the pope

Cardinals in red robes gathered during a special service in Rome.

The College of Cardinals is a special group of senior leaders in the Catholic Church. These leaders are known as cardinals. The leader of the entire Catholic Church is the pope, and he appoints these cardinals to help him. Cardinals come from many different countries around the world. When they meet together as one large body, they are called the College of Cardinals. They act as close advisors to the pope, helping him guide the church.

Cardinals have lifetime appointments, which means they keep their titles for the rest of their lives. One of their most famous jobs is choosing a new pope when the previous one passes away or resigns. However, only cardinals under the age of 80 can vote in this election. The special election meeting is called a conclave. Today, the College includes over two hundred members from across the globe, bringing many cultures and experiences together.

History of the College of Cardinals

How the College First Began

The word "cardinal" comes from the Latin word cardo, which means a "door hinge". This name was chosen because cardinals were seen as vital helpers upon whom church decisions turned. In the Early Middle Ages, church helpers in Rome worked closely with the local Bishop of Rome, who is the pope. Over many centuries, these local helpers formed an organized group that became known as the Sacred College of Cardinals.

Early church records, like the historical book called the Liber Pontificalis, first used the word during the time of Pope Stephen III in 769. During that era, church leaders decided that future popes should come from among the Roman priests and deacons. Later, during the time of Pope Stephen V, cardinals were organized into three distinct levels or orders. The pope asked them to lead prayers at the high altar inside Old St. Peter's Basilica.

The very first group to form was the cardinal deacons, who helped care for the poor. Next came the cardinal priests, who led important parish churches in Rome. Finally, the cardinal bishops formed the highest group. In 845, a meeting called the Council of Meaux–Paris directed bishops to set up clear titles and parishes. Popes also sent cardinals to other countries on special diplomatic assignments, giving them titles like special envoy or papal legate.

Growing Power in the Middle Ages

During the 11th century, important church leaders like Pope Leo IX began big reforms to improve church rules. In 1059, Pope Nicholas II issued an official decree called In nomine Domini. This document made a massive change: it gave the College of Cardinals the exclusive power to elect the pope. Before this rule, wealthy local rulers, such as the Counts of Tusculum and the Colonna family, often tried to control papal elections.

Rulers from outside Rome, including the Holy Roman Emperor, had also tried to choose popes for political reasons. The period before these changes was sometimes troubled, causing great concern among church leaders. Giving voting power only to cardinals protected church independence. This new power was part of the famous Gregorian Reform and the historic Investiture Controversy. Later, in the 12th century, the Third Council of the Lateran stated that popes should be chosen directly from the College itself.

From the 13th through the 15th centuries, the College stayed quite small. It rarely had more than thirty members at any time. Pope John XXII even made a rule in the 1300s setting the limit at twenty members. Over the following centuries, different popes changed the size of the group. Sometimes they added new members to build alliances across Europe or to gain fresh advice on managing church lands.

Changing the Size of the Group

During the 1352 conclave, the cardinals tried to pass an agreement called a conclave capitulation to keep their numbers below twenty. However, Pope Innocent VI declared that rule invalid because popes retain the authority to appoint assistants. For a long time, most cardinals came only from Italy, but by the end of the 14th century, leaders from other lands joined too. Some popes preferred a small group; for example, Pope Benedict XII created only six cardinals during his entire time as leader.

Big church meetings, like the Council of Florence, suggested keeping the College capped at twenty-four members. Similar caps were suggested during the elections of Pope Innocent VIII and Pope Leo X. However, in 1517, Pope Leo X added 31 cardinals at once, bringing the total up to 65. Later, Pope Paul IV raised the number to 70, and Pope Pius IV increased it further to 76.

Leaders across Europe watched these numbers closely. Emperor Ferdinand I suggested limiting the group to 26 during discussions at the Council of Trent. Still, church councils left the final choice to the pontiff. In 1586, Pope Sixtus V fixed the number of cardinals at 70. This number was inspired by ancient biblical traditions. Popes kept this limit for nearly four centuries until modern times.

Growth in the Modern Era

The fixed size of 70 cardinals finally changed during the 20th century. Pope John XXIII increased the group to 88 members in 1961 to represent the worldwide growth of the church. His successor, Pope Paul VI, added even more members, reaching 134 cardinals during his pontificate. In the 19th and 20th centuries, this process of internationalization brought in leaders from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania.

Paul VI also introduced a major rule change about voting in papal elections. Starting in 1971, he decided that only cardinals younger than 80 years old could cast a ballot. In 1975, he set a target maximum of 120 voting cardinals, known as cardinal electors. While this target remained a helpful guideline, later popes sometimes appointed more.

Pope John Paul II confirmed the 120 voting limit in 1996, but his appointments occasionally brought the number higher, reaching 135 electors. Pope Benedict XVI also had slightly more than 120 electors during parts of his papacy. Pope Francis continued this practice, selecting new cardinals from many distant regions and smaller countries that had never had a cardinal before.

How the College Works

Advising the Pope

One primary job of the College of Cardinals is to advise the pope whenever he asks for counsel. When the pope calls all cardinals together for an official meeting, it is called a Papal consistory. The word "consistory" comes from ancient gatherings used by the Roman Emperor to consult his top advisors. During these meetings, cardinals discuss important church matters, such as spreading charity, helping communities, or celebrating a canonization when a holy person is recognized as a saint.

The College does not govern the day-to-day operations of the Catholic Church while a pope is alive. Instead, the pope makes major executive choices with the help of his administration. However, when a pope passes away or steps down, the situation changes. This transitional period is called the sede vacante, which is Latin for "the seat being empty".

During this empty period, the College handles essential administrative duties. Their temporary authority is strictly limited by church laws written in the apostolic constitution named Universi Dominici gregis and the Fundamental Law of Vatican City State. Cardinals cannot change basic church teachings or make permanent laws while waiting for a new pope. Their main task during this window is organizing the election of the next pontiff.

Ranks and Leadership Roles

The College of Cardinals is organized into three traditional ranks, known as orders:

• Cardinal bishops: This is the highest rank. It includes leaders assigned to a suburbicarian diocese, which are historic areas surrounding Rome, along with leaders from an Eastern-rite Catholic background.
• Cardinal priests: This is the largest rank, made up mostly of archbishops and bishops who lead major cities and dioceses around the world.
• Cardinal deacons: This rank traditionally includes cardinals who work directly in the central departments of the Vatican.

The leader of the College is called the Dean of the College of Cardinals. The dean is chosen by the cardinal bishops and confirmed by the pope. Alongside the dean is a vice-dean who helps with leadership. The dean does not rule over the others; instead, he acts as a leader among equals, described by the Latin phrase primus inter pares. The dean leads meetings and organizes official gatherings when the papacy is vacant.

Other key leaders inside the College include the protopriest and the protodeacon. The protopriest is the longest-serving member of the cardinal priests. The protodeacon is the longest-serving member of the cardinal deacons. The protodeacon has the famous duty of announcing the name of a newly elected pope to the crowds waiting in St. Peter's Square.

Electing the Pope in Conclave

The most famous responsibility of the College of Cardinals is holding a conclave to elect a new pope. The word "conclave" comes from Latin words meaning "with a key", because voting cardinals are locked inside a private area until they finish their vote. This privacy prevents outside political pressure and allows the cardinals to focus entirely on prayer and decision-making.

Today, conclaves take place inside the famous Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Cardinals sit beneath the beautiful frescoes painted by Michelangelo. Under rules set by Pope Paul VI in his document Ingravescentem aetatem, only cardinals under age 80 on the day the papacy becomes vacant may vote. Cardinal electors take a strict oath of secrecy before voting begins.

To be elected pope, a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the electors. Cardinals write their choices on paper ballots and place them into a chalice. After the ballots are counted, they are burned in a special stove. If no one has won, chemicals are added to produce black smoke from the chapel chimney, telling the world outside to keep waiting. When a candidate receives enough votes and accepts the role, the papers are burned to produce white smoke, signaling that a new pope has been chosen.

Under canon law, any baptized Catholic man can theoretically be chosen as pope. However, since the election of Pope Urban VI in 1389, the cardinals have always selected the new pope from among their own members. Once the new pope accepts his election, he chooses a new name and greets the world from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.

Historical Membership Numbers

Throughout history, the size of the College has fluctuated due to travel conditions, international politics, and decisions by different popes. During the Middle Ages, travel was difficult, and the College remained small.

Over time, the background of the cardinals also changed greatly. For many centuries, the majority of cardinals were born in Italy because the headquarters of the church was in Rome. In recent centuries, popes made a conscious effort to appoint leaders from all continents.

This increasing diversity ensures that the College reflects the global nature of the modern Catholic Church, bringing voices from every continent together to guide their worldwide community.

See also

In Spanish: Colegio Cardenalicio para niños

• Bishop (Catholic Church)
• Catholic Church by country
• Catholic Church hierarchy
• List of current cardinals
• Papabile