MERGED: Is the Pope still a cardinal after he is elected?

[Aramis]

The retired Cardinal-Patriarch H.E. Nasrallah Sfeir is called Patriarch emeritus of Antioch of the Maronites. He is 92 years old.

Perhaps something similar will occur for H.H. Pope Benedict XVI?

gcatholic.com/hierarchy/data/cardJP2-6.htm#155

The title that’s being bandied about is “Bishop Emeritus of Rome”…

… but it won’t be settled formally until the new pope decrees.

 

[Inego_de_Loyola]

uch: Why would they have merged our discussion of whether we can still call him Benedict with a discussion of whether he would still be a cardinal.

 

[mburn16]

Seems to be quite a number of issues to be worked out. Of course, nobody addresses the Pontiff as “John Paul” or “Benedict”…so to that regard, much of this is academic, even moreso since the Holy Father seems to be planning to largely disappear from view.

Not that it will work out this way, but it seems to me like he should keep the “H.H.” title, but not “Holy Father”. For reference is a little more difficult, but either Bishop Emeritus or Former pope seems to work nicely.

Dress is another question. Does he wear white? red? purple? Maybe they need to make up a purple-trimmed-white garb.