Lay cardinal

In the Roman Catholic Church, a "lay cardinal" was a cardinal who had not been given major orders, i.e. who had never become a deacon or a priest.

Properly speaking these cardinals were not laymen, since they were all given what was called first tonsure , by which at that time one became a cleric, and cease to be a layman. [Cf. [http://www.intratext.com/IXT/LAT0813/_P9.HTM canon 108] of the 1917 Code of Canon Law] In addition they were given minor orders, which were no obstacle to marrying or to living in a marriage previously contracted. The freedom to marry and to live in marriage is doubtless the reason why cardinals who were not in major orders were popularly, though inaccurately, referred to as lay cardinals.

A famous example of confusion in the opposite sense is that of the composer Franz Liszt, who was known as the "Abbé Liszt", although he had only received tonsure and minor orders. He was thus a cleric, but never became a priest, as the title of " Abbé" would wrongly suggest.

Examples

Giacomo Antonelli, who served as Pope Pius IX's Cardinal Secretary of State, was among the last of the lay cardinals.

In 1968 Pope Paul VI seriously considered appointing the French Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain a lay cardinal.

Teodolfo Mertel, a lawyer and layman was named cardinal by Pope Pius IX in 1858. He was not a lay cardinal for long, as he received ordination to the diaconate the same year. He was the last non-priest cardinal created. [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bmert.html]

Confusion concerning the title of "cardinal"

It is perhaps commonplace to think that the title of "cardinal" is the next order after "bishop" to which a man may be ordained, as "bishop" comes after "priest" and "priest" after "deacon". In fact, however, the position of cardinal is not an order to which one can be ordained, but simply a high office in the Church.

Changes in canon law

The 1917 Code of Canon Law decreed that from then on only those who were priests or bishops could be chosen as cardinals, [ [http://www.intratext.com/IXT/LAT0813/_PO.HTM canon 232 §1] ] thus officially closing the historical period in which some cardinals could be clergy that had only received first tonsure and minor orders.

The same rule is repeated in the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which adds that those who are not already bishops are to receive episcopal ordination. [ [http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0017/_P18.HTM canon 351§1] ] Sometimes a priest who has been appointed a cardinal asks for and obtains dispensation from the obligation to be ordained a bishop.

With the motu proprio "Ministeria quaedam" of 15 August 1972 Pope Paul VI ended the conferral of first tonsure and laid down that entry into the clerical state would instead be by ordination as deacon. [ [http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/P6MINORS.HTM Ministeria quaedam] ]

References

See also

* Crown-cardinal
* Cardinal nephew
* Tonsure
* Minor orders