CHAPTER III
: THE CARDINALS OF THE HOLY ROMAN CHURCH
Can.
349 The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church constitute a special
College,
whose prerogative it is to elect the Roman Pontiff in accordance with the norms
of a special law. The Cardinals are also available to the Roman Pontiff, either
acting collegially, when they are summoned together to deal with questions of
major importance, or acting individually, that is, in the offices which they
hold in assisting the Roman Pontiff especially in the daily care of the
universal Church.
Can.
350 §1 The College of Cardinals is divided into three orders: the episcopal
order, to which belong those Cardinals to whom the Roman Pontiff assigns the
title of a suburbicarian Church, and eastern-rite Patriarchs who are made
members of the College of Cardinals; the presbyteral order, and the diaconal
order.
§2 Cardinal
priests and Cardinal deacons are each assigned a title or a deaconry in Rome by
the Roman Pontiff.
§3 Eastern
Patriarchs within the College of Cardinals have their patriarchal see as a
title.
§4 The
Cardinal Dean has the title of the diocese of Ostia, together with that of any
other Church to which he already has a title.
§5 By a
choice made in Consistory and approved by the Supreme Pontiff, Cardinal priests
may transfer to another title; Cardinal deacons may transfer to another
deaconry and, if they have been a full ten years in the diaconal order, to the
presbyteral order: priority of order and of promotion is to be observed.
§6 A
Cardinal who by choice transfers from the diaconal to the presbyteral order,
takes precedence over all Cardinal priests who were promoted to the Cardinalate
after him.
Can.
351 §1 Those to be promoted Cardinals are men freely selected by the Roman
Pontiff, who are at least in the order of priesthood and are truly outstanding
in doctrine, virtue, piety and prudence in practical matters; those who are not
already Bishops must receive episcopal consecration.
§2
Cardinals are created by decree of the Roman Pontiff, which in fact is
published in the presence of the College of Cardinals. From the moment of
publication, they are bound by the obligations and they enjoy the rights
defined in the law.
§3 A person
promoted to the dignity of Cardinal, whose creation the Roman Pontiff
announces, but whose name he reserves in petto, is not at that time bound by
the obligations nor does he enjoy the rights of a Cardinal. When his name is
published by the Roman Pontiff, however, he is bound by these obligations and
enjoys these rights, but his right of precedence dates from the day of the
reservation in petto.
Can.
352 §1 The Dean presides over the College of Cardinals. When he is unable to do
so, the sub-Dean takes his place. The Dean, or the subDean, has no power of
governance over the other Cardinals, but is considered as first among equals.
§2 When the
office of Dean is vacant, those Cardinals who have a suburbicarian title, and
only those, under the presidency of the sub-Dean if he is present, or of the
oldest member, elect one of their number to act as Dean of the College. They
are to submit his name to the Roman Pontiff, to whom it belongs to approve the
person elected.
§3 In the
same way as set out in §2, the sub-Dean is elected, with the Dean presiding. It
belongs to the Roman Pontiff to approve also the election of the sub-Dean.
§4 If the
Dean and sub-Dean do not already have a domicile in Rome, they acquire it
there.
Can.
353 §1 Cardinals assist the Supreme Pastor of the Church in collegial fashion
particularly in Consistories, in which they are gathered by order of the Roman
Pontiff and under his presidency. Consistories are either ordinary or
extraordinary.
§2 In an
ordinary Consistory all Cardinals, or at least those who are in Rome, are
summoned for consultation on certain grave matters of more frequent occurrence,
or for the performance of especially solemn acts.
§3 All
Cardinals are summoned to an extraordinary Consistory, which takes place when
the special needs of the Church and more serious matters suggest it.
§4 Only an
ordinary Consistory in which certain solemnities are celebrated, can be public,
that is when, in addition to the Cardinals, Prelates, representatives of civil
states and other invited persons are admitted.
Can.
354 Cardinals who head the departments and other permanent sections of the
Roman Curia and of Vatican City, who have completed their seventy-fifth year,
are requested to offer their resignation from office to the Roman Pontiff, who
will consider all the circumstances and make provision accordingly.
Can.
355 §1 It belongs to the Cardinal Dean to ordain the elected Roman Pontiff a
Bishop, if he is not already ordained. If the Dean is prevented from doing so,
the same right belongs to the sub-Dean or, if he is prevented, to the senior
Cardinal of the episcopal order.
§2 The
senior Cardinal Deacon announces the name of the newly elected Supreme Pontiff
to the people. Acting in place of the Roman Pontiff, he also confers the
pallium on metropolitan Bishops or gives the pallium to their proxies.
Can.
356 Cardinals have the obligation of cooperating closely with the Roman
Pontiff. For this reason, Cardinals who have any office in the Curia and are
not diocesan Bishops, are obliged to reside in Rome. Cardinals who are in
charge of a diocese as diocesan Bishops, are to go to Rome whenever summoned by
the Roman Pontiff.
Can.
357 §1 When a Cardinal has taken possession of a suburbicarian Church or of a
titular Church in Rome, he is to further the good of the diocese or church by
counsel and patronage. However, he has no power of governance over it, and he
should not for any reason interfere in matters concerning the administration of
its goods, or its discipline, or the service of the church.
§2
Cardinals living outside Rome and outside their own diocese, are exempt in what
concerns their person from the power of governance of the Bishop of the diocese
in which they are residing.
Can.
358 A Cardinal may be deputed by the Roman Pontiff to represent him in some
solemn celebration or assembly of persons as a 'Legatus a latere', that is, as
his alter ego; or he may, as a special emissary, be entrusted with a particular
pastoral task. A Cardinal thus nominated is entitled to deal only with those
affairs which have been entrusted to him by the Roman Pontiff himself.
Can.
359 When the Apostolic See is vacant, the College of Cardinals has only that
power in the Church which is granted to it by special law.
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