The Protopriest of the College of Cardinals ( it, protopresbitero, and, rare, it, protoprete) in the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are appoi ...

, is the first

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

in the order of precedence, hence directly after the

Cardinal-bishop A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

s. This title is always attached to the most senior Cardinal Priest according to date of his creation. From the 17th century until the end of the 19th century, the Protopriest was usually assigned to the

Titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church is a church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the clergy who is created a cardinal. These are Catholic churches in the city, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rome, that serve as honorary de ...

San Lorenzo in Lucina The Minor Basilica of St. Lawrence in Lucina ( it, Basilica Minore di San Lorenzo in Lucina or simply it, San Lorenzo in Lucina; la, S. Laurentii in Lucina) is a Roman Catholic parish, titular church, and minor basilica in central Rome, Italy. ...

. The last ''protoprete'' who opted for that title was

Mieczysław Halka Ledóchowski Mieczysław () or Mečislovas (Lithuanian) is a Slavic name of Polish origin and consists of two parts: miecz "sword", and sław "glory, famous". Feminine form: Mieczysława. Alternate form: Mieszko. This name may refer to: People Mečislovas *M ...

in 1896. The protopriest has the honor of pronouncing the formal prayer for the new pope at the

papal inauguration Papal inauguration is a liturgical service of the Catholic Church within Mass celebrated in the Roman Rite but with elements of Byzantine Rite for the ecclesiastical investiture of a pope. Since the inauguration of Pope John Paul I, it has not i ...

after the

protodeacon Protodeacon derives from the Greek ''proto-'' meaning 'first' and ''diakonos'', which is a standard ancient Greek word meaning "assistant", "servant", or "waiting-man". The word in English may refer to any of various clergy, depending upon the usag ...

(most senior

Cardinal deacon A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

) bestows the

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolit ...

and before the

Dean of the College of Cardinals The dean of the College of Cardinals ( la, Decanus Collegii Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalium) presides over the College of Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church, serving as '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals). The position was establ ...

(most senior Cardinal-bishop) presents the

Ring of the Fisherman The Ring of the Fisherman (Latin: ''Anulus piscatoris''; Italian: ''Anello Piscatorio''), also known as the Piscatory Ring, is an official part of the regalia worn by the Pope, who is head of the Catholic Church and successor of Saint Peter, who wa ...

. This last happened at the inauguration of

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

in 2005, Retrieved 12 April 2013. but did not happen at the inauguration of

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

in 2013 because the protopriest, Cardinal

Paulo Evaristo Arns Paulo Evaristo Arns OFM (; 14 September 1921 – 14 December 2016) was a Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church, who was made a cardinal and the Archbishop of São Paulo by Pope Paul VI, and later became cardinal protopriest. His ministr ...

, then 91 years old, remained in São Paulo, Brazil, and did not attend. Cardinal

Michael Michai Kitbunchu Michael Michai Kitbunchu ( th, ไมเกิ้ล มีชัย กิจบุญชู, ; born 25 January 1929) is a Thai prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Bangkok from 1973 to 2009 and was elevated to the ca ...

of Bangkok has been the protopriest since 14 December 2016.

Protopriests since 1920

James Gibbons James Cardinal Gibbons (July 23, 1834 – March 24, 1921) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Vicar of North Carolina from 1868 to 1872, Bishop of Richmond from 1872 to 1877, and as ninth ...

(1920–1921) * Michael Logue (1921–1924) * Giuseppe Francica-Nava de Bontifè (1924–1928) *

Lev Skrbenský z Hřiště Lev may refer to: Common uses *Bulgarian lev, the currency of Bulgaria *an abbreviation for Leviticus, the third book of the Hebrew Bible and the Torah People and fictional characters *Lev (given name) * Lev (surname) Places *Lev, Azerbaijan, ...

(1928–1938) *

William Henry O'Connell William Henry O'Connell (December 8, 1859 – April 22, 1944) was an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1907 until his death in 1944, and was made a cardinal in 1911. Early life William O'Connell wa ...

(1938–1944) *

Alessio Ascalesi Alessio Ascalesi (22 October 1872 – 11 May 1952) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop of Naples. Biography Ascalesi was born in Casalnuovo, near Naples. He joined the priesthood and entered the Seminary of ...

, 1944–May 1952 *

Michael von Faulhaber Michael Cardinal ''Ritter'' von Faulhaber (5 March 1869 – 12 June 1952) was a German Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Munich for 35 years, from 1917 to his death in 1952. Created Cardinal in 1921, von Faulhaber criticized the Weima ...

, June 1952 *

Alessandro Verde Alessandro Verde (27 March 1865 – 29 March 1958) was an Italian Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. Early life He was born in Sant'Antimo, and educated at the Seminary of Aversa, where he wa ...

, 1957–1958 *

Jozef-Ernest van Roey Jozef-Ernest van Roey (13 January 1874 – 6 August 1961) was a Belgian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Mechelen from 1926 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1927. He was significant fig ...

, 1958–1961 *

Manuel Gonçalves Cerejeira Manuel Gonçalves Cerejeira, GCC, GCSE, GCIH (29 November 1888, Lousado, Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal – 2 August 1977, Buraca, Amadora, Portugal) was a Portuguese cardinal who served as Patriarch of Lisbon from 1929 to 1971. He was the l ...

, 1961–1977 * Carlos Vasconcellos Motta, 1977–1982 *

Giuseppe Siri Giuseppe Siri (20 May 1906 – 2 May 1989) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Genoa from 1946 to 1987, and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 1953. He was a protege of Pope Pius XII. He was considere ...

, 1982–1989 *

Paul-Émile Léger Paul-Émile Léger (April 26, 1904 – November 13, 1991) was a Canadian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Montreal from 1950 to 1967, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1953 by Pope Pius XII. Early life an ...

, 1989–1991 *

Franz König Franz König (3 August 1905 – 13 March 2004) was an Austrian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of Vienna from 1956 to 1985, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1958. The last surviving cardinal elevated by Pope John ...

, 1991–2004 * Stephen Kim, 2004–2009 *

Eugênio Sales Eugênio de Araújo Sales (8 November 1920 – 9 July 2012) was a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, having been elevated by Pope Paul VI on 28 April 1969. He served as archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro for thirty years unti ...

, 2009–2012 *

, 2012–2016 *

, 2016–

Notes

References

{{reflist *20 ro:Protopop

Protopriests since 1920

See also

Notes

References