The role of cardinals in the Catholic Church

[rug]

21 February 2014 Last updated at 09:02
By Zaffar Iqbal
BBC Religion and Ethics

One year ago cardinals from all over the world gathered in Rome to elect the next leader of the Catholic Church, after Pope Benedict XVI's dramatic resignation.

The College of Cardinals, the sacred body which elects the Pope, has gained 19 new faces to help Pope Francis run the world's oldest and largest Christian Church.

Amongst them is Archbishop Vincent Nichols, leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales and Archbishop of Westminster.

But what is a cardinal and what role do they play in the Catholic Church?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/0/26081279

[meow2u3]

1. I always understood that cardinals were spiritual descendents...

...of the Apostles. AFAIK, the Apostles voted, or cast lots (flipping a coin in modern parlance) to replace deceased popes and/or other apostles.

[rug]

2. I believe that is true of every bishop.

Cardinals though are essentially officers of an organization who are, presently, also bishops.

At one point there were cardinals who were neither bishops nor priests.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_cardinal

[47of74]

3. My understanding is that Cardinals came about in the middle ages

[rug]

4. I think that's right. Their purpose was not sacramental but to help administer "Christendom".

[hrmjustin]

5. They were placed in charge of electing the pope in the 11th century.

The were the clergy of the diocese of Rome but that changed over time.