In the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, a titular church is a
church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
who is created a
cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
. These are Catholic churches in the city, within the jurisdiction of the
Diocese of Rome
The Diocese of Rome ( la, Dioecesis Urbis seu Romana; it, Diocesi di Roma) is the ecclesiastical district under the direct jurisdiction of the Pope, who is Bishop of Rome and hence the supreme pontiff and head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...
, that serve as honorary designations symbolising the relationship of cardinals to the
pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
, the
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
of Rome. According to the
1983 Code of Canon Law
The 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'' (abbreviated 1983 CIC from its Latin title ''Codex Iuris Canonici''), also called the Johanno-Pauline Code, is the "fundamental body of ecclesiastical laws for the Latin Church". It is the second and current comp ...
, a cardinal may assist his titular church through counsel or through patronage, although "he has no power of governance over it, and he should not for any reason interfere in matters concerning the administration of its good, or its discipline, or the service of the church".
There are two ranks of titular churches: titles and deaconries. A title ( la, titulus) is a titular church that is assigned to a
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 ...
(a member of the second order of 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 ...
), whereas a deaconry ( la, diaconia, links=no) is normally assigned to a
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 ...
(a member of the third order of the college).
If a cardinal priest or a cardinal deacon is later appointed a
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 ...
(a member of the first order of the college), he is typically transferred from his titular church to the
vacant
Within the context of building construction and building codes, "occupancy" refers to the use, or intended use, of a building, or portion of a building, for the shelter or support of persons, animals or property. A closely related meaning is th ...
title of a
suburbicarian diocese The seven suburbicarian dioceses are Roman Catholic dioceses located in the vicinity of Rome, whose (titular) bishops are the (now six) ordinary members of the highest-ranking order of cardinals, the cardinal bishops (to which the cardinal-patriarc ...
in the vicinity of Rome.
Patriarch
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...
s of
Eastern Catholic Churches
The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous (''sui iuris'') particular churches of th ...
who are created cardinal bishops are not assigned titles of suburbicarian dioceses.
A cardinal may request that he be transferred to another titular church in a
consistory
Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to:
*A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church
*Consistory ...
; in addition, when a cardinal deacon opts to become a cardinal priest (usually after ten years), he may request either that his deaconry be elevated ''
pro hac vice
In the legal field, ''pro hac vice'' () is a practice in common law jurisdictions whereby a lawyer who has not been admitted to practice in a certain jurisdiction is allowed to participate in a particular case in that jurisdiction. Although ''pro ...
'' ('for this occasion') to a title or that he be transferred from his deaconry to a vacant title.
Other churches in Rome can also be established as new titular churches. Occasionally, a titular church may be held ''
in commendam
In canon law, commendam (or ''in commendam'') was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice ''in trust'' to the ''custody'' of a patron. The phrase ''in commendam'' was originally applied to the provisional occupation of an ecclesiastical ...
'' ('in trust') by a cardinal who has been transferred to a different titular church or to a suburbicarian diocese.
History
Before the
legalization of Christianity in Rome the ''tituli'' were private buildings used as Christian
churches—also called ''
domus ecclesiae'' or "house churches"—and each took the name of the owner of the building, either a wealthy donor, or a priest appointed by the Church authorities to run it.
[Aluigi Cossio, "Titulus" in ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' 1912](_blank)
/ref> For instance, the , now the church of the Santi Quattro Coronati
Santi Quattro Coronati is an ancient basilica in Rome, Italy. The church dates back to the fourth or fifth century, and is devoted to four anonymous saints and martyrs. The complex of the basilica with its two courtyards, the fortified Cardinal P ...
, drew its name from its foundress, who doubtless owned the extensive suburban Roman villa
A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house built in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions.
Typology and distribution
Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD) distinguished two kinds of villas n ...
whose foundations remain under the church and whose audience hall became the ecclesiastical basilica. The most ancient reference to such a Roman church is in the ''Apology against the Arians'' of Athanasius
Athanasius I of Alexandria, ; cop, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲡⲓⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲓⲕⲟⲥ or Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲁ̅; (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, ...
[ in the fourth century, which speaks of a council of bishops assembled "in the place where the Priest Vitus held his congregation".
By the end of the 5th century such churches numbered 25, as is confirmed by the '']Liber Pontificalis
The ''Liber Pontificalis'' (Latin for 'pontifical book' or ''Book of the Popes'') is a book of biographies of popes from Saint Peter until the 15th century. The original publication of the ''Liber Pontificalis'' stopped with Pope Adrian II (867 ...
''. The same number, though with different identities, is given in the reports of councils held in Rome in 499 and 595. In 1120, however, the number is given as 28.[ In modern times, many more have received the status of "tituli" or titular churches, while others over the centuries have been abandoned. Some of the latter have been demolished by natural events, war or urban development.
In 1059, the right of electing the pope was reserved to the bishops of the seven suburbicarian sees, the priests in charge of the "tituli" churches, and the clergy in charge of the deaconries. These were known collectively as the ]cardinals
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
. Given the importance of this privilege, the term "cardinal" came to be understood as bestowing high rank.
Accordingly, when it became customary to attribute for honorific reasons the title of cardinal to ecclesiastics living outside Rome, each was assigned theoretical responsibility for one or other of the Roman churches, a legal fiction establishing their position within the Pope's diocese of Rome. It was understood that they had no obligation to reside in Rome, and so were not personally responsible for the pastoral care of the titular churches assigned to them. This practice is still in force today.
Present situation
Today, the cardinal priests have a loose patronal relationship with their titular churches, whose cardinal protector they are called. Their names and coats of arms are inscribed on plaques in the churches, they are expected to preach at the church occasionally when they are in Rome, and many raise funds for their church's maintenance and restoration, but they no longer participate in the actual management of the churches. There are (as of 2015) 160 presbyteral titular churches.
Many cardinals are assigned to ''tituli'' with some connection to their home see or country, such as the national churches in Rome
Charitable institutions attached to churches in Rome were founded right through the medieval period and included hospitals, hostels, and others providing assistance to pilgrims to Rome from a certain "nation", which thus became these nations' na ...
. For example, Jean-Claude Turcotte
Jean-Claude Turcotte () (26 June 1936 – 8 April 2015) was a Canadian Roman Catholic cardinal. Upon his elevation into the cardinalate he was made the Cardinal-Priest of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and the Holy Canadian Martyrs. He was ...
, former archbishop of Montreal, was made Cardinal Priest of the Santi Martiri Canadesi (Holy Canadian Martyrs); André Vingt-Trois
André Armand Vingt-Trois (; born 7 November 1942) is a French cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Paris from 2005 to 2017, having previously served as Archbishop of Tours from 1999 to 2005. He was elevated to the cardi ...
, former Archbishop of Paris, is the cardinal priest of San Luigi dei Francesi
The Church of St. Louis of the French ( it, San Luigi dei Francesi, french: Saint Louis des Français, la, S. Ludovici Francorum de Urbe) is a Roman Catholic church in Rome, not far from Piazza Navona. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, ...
(St. Louis, King of France).
Cardinal deacons
In the wider sense, the term ''titular church'' is also loosely applied to the ''deaconries'' in Rome assigned to the cardinal-deacons.
Originally, a ''deaconry'' was a charitable institution in Christian Rome, first mentioned in connection with Pope Benedict II
Pope Benedict II ( la, Benedictus II) was the bishop of Rome from 26 June 684 to his death. Pope Benedict II's feast day is 8 May.
Early life
Benedict was born in Rome. It is possible that he was a member of the Savelli family, though this is n ...
(684–685). It would seem that in an early period there were seven deaconries, each corresponding to one of the seven divisions of the city. As the terms implies, each was entrusted to a deacon. Pope Adrian I
Pope Adrian I ( la, Hadrianus I; died 25 December 795) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 772 to his death. He was the son of Theodore, a Roman nobleman.
Adrian and his predecessors had to contend with periodic ...
(772–795) fixed their number at 18, a number that remained constant until the 16th century.[
Since the medieval period, men appointed cardinal deacons are often holders of high office in the Roman Curia. However, there have also been some recent developments since it was established that cardinals over the age of 80 would not participate in the conclave that elects a new Pope. Despite this new rule, the Popes have continued to appoint as cardinals a limited number of priests or bishops who have already reached 80 years of age. Often such men are assigned to the order of cardinal deacons. Among the cases that may arise are those of a bishop or archbishop who is widely esteemed but is not made a cardinal for some specific (though rarely publicly announced) reason. It may be, for example, that such a appointment, given while he is under the age of 80, would increase in a disproportionate way the number of cardinals from a single country eligible to participate in the next conclave, or else it would risk creating an expectation that his successors will in future necessarily be made cardinals, too. In other cases, it has become the custom for the Pope to appoint from time to time as cardinals a small number of highly regarded theologians who have already reached the age of 80. Often in these cases, the rank assigned has been that of cardinal deacon.
There is also a practice of changing the rank of the cardinalatial church from deaconry to priestly title or vice versa, permanently or, as the phrase goes, ''pro hac vice'' (''for this turn''). For instance, a man appointed a cardinal deacon will by definition be assigned a church that has the rank of a "deaconry". It is customary for a cardinal deacon, after ten years, to be able to petition for promotion to the rank of cardinal priest. This is usually granted. In this case, he may be assigned a completely different cardinalatial church which has the rank of a "titulus". However, a commonly used alternative procedure is to raise the church to which he is already attached ''pro hac vice'' to the rank of a "titulus".
In 2015 there were 67 "deaconries" assigned or assignable to one of the ]cardinals
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
.
Cardinal bishops
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 were originally the successors of the residential bishops who governed the seven dioceses around Rome known as suburbicarian diocese The seven suburbicarian dioceses are Roman Catholic dioceses located in the vicinity of Rome, whose (titular) bishops are the (now six) ordinary members of the highest-ranking order of cardinals, the cardinal bishops (to which the cardinal-patriarc ...
s. They had varying roles in the running of the diocese of Rome, sometimes functioning similarly to present-day auxiliary bishops. Cardinal bishops are now honorarily granted the title of a suburbicarian diocese, with 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 ...
additionally gaining that of Ostia.
Patriarch
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...
s of Eastern Catholic Churches
The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous (''sui iuris'') particular churches of th ...
who become cardinals (individually, not by right of their office) constitute an exception: their own patriarchal see is counted as their cardinal title.Code of Canon Law, canon 350 §3
/ref> They belong to the order of cardinal bishops and, in the order of precedence, come before the cardinal priests and immediately after the cardinals who hold the titles of the seven suburbicarian sees.
See also
* List of titular churches in Rome
In the Catholic Church, a member of the clergy who is created a cardinal is assigned a titular church in Rome, Italy. These are Catholic churches in the city, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rome, that serve as honorary designations si ...
, listing present titular churches and their incumbents
* Churches of Rome
* Suburbicarian diocese The seven suburbicarian dioceses are Roman Catholic dioceses located in the vicinity of Rome, whose (titular) bishops are the (now six) ordinary members of the highest-ranking order of cardinals, the cardinal bishops (to which the cardinal-patriarc ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
* Duchesne, Louis (1887). "Les titres presbyteraux et les diaconies,"
*
*
*
* H. W. Klewitz, "Die Entstehung des Kardinalskollegiums," ''Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte. Kanonische Abteilung'' 25 (1936), 115–221.
* Krautheimer, R., ''Corpus Basilicarum Christianarum Romae'', vol. 3.
*
* Lanzoni, Francesco (1925). "I titoli presbiteriali di Roma antica nella storia e nella leggenda," ''Rivista di archeologia cristiana'' II (1925), 195–257.
* Richardson, Carol M., ''Reclaiming Rome: cardinals in the fifteenth century'', Leiden: Brill, 2009.
* Witte, Arnold (2020).
Cardinals and Their Titular Churches
. In Mary Hollingsworth, Miles Pattenden and Arnold Witte (eds.), ''A Companion to the Early Modern Cardinal'' (pp. 333-350). (Brill's Companions to the Christian Tradition; Vol. 91). Brill. ISBN 978-9004415447
External links
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