Cardinal (Catholic Church)

Cardinals are created by the pope and typically hold the title for life. Most cardinals are bishops and archbishops leading dioceses and archdioceses around the world.

On 24 February 2024, there were 239 serving cardinals,

According to the Catholic church, the order of the importance of the Catholic Church goes from the Pope, then the Bishops and then the Cardinals. Cardinals are the counsellor of The Pope. (The pope is the head of the catholic church.) In 1245, Pope Innocent IV granted the red hat to the Bishops as a sign of of the Cardinals readiness to shed their blood in the cause of the church which showed their dedication to the church.

The collective name for cardinals is College of Cardinals. They meet in a Papal conclave to elect a new Pope.^[1]

When there is no pope, the cardinals direct the day-to-day affairs of the Church.^[1]

Cardinal (Catholic Church) Media

The coat of arms of a cardinal (who is a bishop or archbishop) is indicated by a red galero (wide-brimmed hat) with 15 tassels on each side (the motto and escutcheon are proper to the individual cardinal).
Cardinal Richelieu, chief minister of France
Cardinal Innitzer, Archbishop of Vienna and Cardinal-Priest of San Crisogono
Choir dress of a cardinal
Angelo Sodano was Dean of the College of Cardinals from 2005 to 2019.
Cardinal-priest Thomas Wolsey
Coat of arms of Cardinal Martino, current Cardinal Protodeacon
Reginald Pole was a cardinal for 18 years before he was ordained a priest.
A Cardinal in Profile, 1880, by Jehan Georges Vibert (Morgan Library and Museum, New York City)
Cardinal Sarr with a ferraiolo and wearing a red cassock, but not the rest of the choir dress.