Theoretically, can a woman be a Cardinal?

[Corki]

A friend asked me this question.

Evidently this is being presented as a way for women to get into “leadership positions” without Holy Orders.

I know there have been lay Cardinals (John Henry Newman) but I thought they had changed the canon law on that to only allow the ordained. I found a reference to the 1983 Canon Law that says Cardinals have to be Bishops. But I recently read that the Pope might grant a dispensation from that requirement for a Lay Cardinal he is considering. (the candidate was over the age to vote for a Pope and the title would be mostly honorary). Could the same be done for a woman?

 

[tee_eff_em]

I cannot speculate on the question, however:

I found a reference to the 1983 Canon Law that says Cardinals have to be Bishops. But I recently read that the Pope might grant a dispensation from that requirement for a Lay Cardinal he is considering. (the candidate was over the age to vote for a Pope and the title would be mostly honorary).

Avery Cardinal Dulles is a sitting Cardinal, though he was able to beg off episcopal ordination.

tee

 

[Corki]

I cannot speculate on the question, however:

Avery Cardinal Dulles is a sitting Cardinal, though he was able to beg off episcopal ordination.

tee

Yes, I found a reference to that as well. Evidently the Pope gave him a dispensation for the episopal ordination. He is, I believe a Priest Cardinal. And it seems in times past, there were Deacon Cardinals.

Just in case any one plans on bashing me - I am not advocating women Cardinals, I just wanted to know if I answered my friend correctly.

 

[VietCatholic83]

I know there have been lay Cardinals (John Henry Newman)

What do you mean by “Lay Cardinal?” Blessed Cardinal Newman was certainly not a layman. He was an Anglican minister before he was received into full communion and subsequently was ordained to the priesthood.

 

[Corki]

What do you mean by “Lay Cardinal?” Blessed Cardinal Newman was certainly not a layman. He was an Anglican minister before he was received into full communion and subsequently was ordained to the priesthood.

Wow! you are right! I read several biographies and none mention that even though they all talked about his conversion and his Cardinalship.

So the last lay Cardinal was in 1858 - before the 1917 canon law.

 

[TheDoctor]

Under the current Code, I believe this is covered by Canon 351:
Can. 351 §1. The Roman Pontiff freely selects men to be promoted as cardinals, who have been ordained at least into the order of the presbyterate and are especially outstanding in doctrine, morals, piety, and prudence in action; those who are not yet bishops must receive episcopal consecration.
The canon would seem to preclude women as cardinals since they are neither “men” nor can they be “ordained” to any Holy Order.

Of course, the Pope is not bound by Canon Law and could make an exception, but I don’t see this Pope doing that.

 

[Claire_from_DE]

The pope isn’t bound by canon law??

 

[belgianwaffles9]

Yes, I found a reference to that as well. Evidently the Pope gave him a dispensation for the episopal ordination. He is, I believe a Priest Cardinal. And it seems in times past, there were Deacon Cardinals.

There STILL ARE three divisions of cardinals: Cardinal Deacons, Cardinal Priests, and Cardinal Bishops.

Here is a picture of Cardinal Deacons at the most recent Palm Sunday. Note, they are wearing Dalmatics because they are fulfilling the roles of deacons, but they are also wearing mitres, because they are bishops.

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/9703/capt9ac37a208bce4f628f0hs0.jpg

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Yes, I found a reference to that as well. Evidently the Pope gave him a dispensation for the episopal ordination. He is, I believe a Priest Cardinal. And it seems in times past, there were Deacon Cardinals.

Just in case any one plans on bashing me - I am not advocating women Cardinals, I just wanted to know if I answered my friend correctly.

Don’t get those terms confused! “Cardinal, Bishop”, “Cardinal Priest” and “Cardinal Deacon” are all Bishops. The "Bishop, Priest and Deacon titles are their rank within the Collage of Cardinals. It has nothing to do with the Ordination Rank. (with the exception of the one noted Cardinal Dulles who is not a Bishop) all Cardinals are Bishops.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Yes, I found a reference to that as well. Evidently the Pope gave him a dispensation for the episopal ordination. He is, I believe a Priest Cardinal. And it seems in times past, there were Deacon Cardinals.

Just in case any one plans on bashing me - I am not advocating women Cardinals, I just wanted to know if I answered my friend correctly.

Don’t get those terms confused! “Cardinal, Bishop”, “Cardinal Priest” and “Cardinal Deacon” are all Bishops. The "Bishop, Priest and Deacon titles are their rank within the Collage of Cardinals. It has nothing to do with the Ordination Rank. (with the exception of the one noted Cardinal Dulles who is not a Bishop) all Cardinals are Bishops.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Yes, I found a reference to that as well. Evidently the Pope gave him a dispensation for the episopal ordination. He is, I believe a Priest Cardinal. And it seems in times past, there were Deacon Cardinals.

Just in case any one plans on bashing me - I am not advocating women Cardinals, I just wanted to know if I answered my friend correctly.

Don’t get those terms confused! “Cardinal, Bishop”, “Cardinal Priest” and “Cardinal Deacon” are all Bishops. The "Bishop, Priest and Deacon titles are their rank within the Collage of Cardinals. It has nothing to do with the Ordination Rank. (with the exception of the one noted Cardinal Dulles who is not a Bishop) all Cardinals are Bishops.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Yes, I found a reference to that as well. Evidently the Pope gave him a dispensation for the episopal ordination. He is, I believe a Priest Cardinal. And it seems in times past, there were Deacon Cardinals.

Just in case any one plans on bashing me - I am not advocating women Cardinals, I just wanted to know if I answered my friend correctly.

Don’t get those terms confused! “Cardinal, Bishop”, “Cardinal Priest” and “Cardinal Deacon” are all Bishops. The "Bishop, Priest and Deacon titles are their rank within the Collage of Cardinals. It has nothing to do with the Ordination Rank. (with the exception of the one noted Cardinal Dulles who is not a Bishop) all Cardinals are Bishops.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Yes, I found a reference to that as well. Evidently the Pope gave him a dispensation for the episopal ordination. He is, I believe a Priest Cardinal. And it seems in times past, there were Deacon Cardinals.

Just in case any one plans on bashing me - I am not advocating women Cardinals, I just wanted to know if I answered my friend correctly.

Don’t get those terms confused! “Cardinal, Bishop”, “Cardinal Priest” and “Cardinal Deacon” are all Bishops. The "Bishop, Priest and Deacon titles are their rank within the Collage of Cardinals. It has nothing to do with the Ordination Rank. (with the exception of the one noted Cardinal Dulles who is not a Bishop) all Cardinals are Bishops.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

The pope isn’t bound by canon law??

The Pope can dispense with any Canon Law if he wants in an individual case.

 

[benedictgal]

There STILL ARE three divisions of cardinals: Cardinal Deacons, Cardinal Priests, and Cardinal Bishops.

Here is a picture of Cardinal Deacons at the most recent Palm Sunday. Note, they are wearing Dalmatics because they are fulfilling the roles of deacons, but they are also wearing mitres, because they are bishops.

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/9703/capt9ac37a208bce4f628f0hs0.jpg

Yes, the Cardnial Deacans are still bishops. In fact the Cardinal Proto-Deacon is the one who makes the anticipated “Habemus Papam” announcment in April 2005. They also assist the Holy Father (ceremonially, at least) during the big liturgies, sitting on either side of him.

The Cardnial Priests are also still bishops, in fact, they are Metropolitans of their own Metropolitan See. For example, Daniel, Carndial DiNardo is Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, but, he has been assigned a titular parish in Rome. The Cardinal Priests are each assigned a parish in Rome since only Roman clergy can elect the Pontiff.

Now, the Cardinal Bishops, which included the former Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, are assigned titular sees within the Roman province. The Cardinal Bishops are usually prefects of Congregations, but, these are relatively few in number. Ratzinger didn’t become a Cardinal Bishop until after the year 2000.

Now, Fr. Hans Ur Von Balthazaar was supposed to have received his red hat from Pope John Paul II, but, the priest died before it could be conferred. Usually, priests who are elevated to the rank of cardinal are elderly or have had to have done something major.

 

[johnnykins]

Don’t get those terms confused! “Cardinal, Bishop”, “Cardinal Priest” and “Cardinal Deacon” are all Bishops. The "Bishop, Priest and Deacon titles are their rank within the Collage of Cardinals. It has nothing to do with the Ordination Rank. (with the exception of the one noted Cardinal Dulles who is not a Bishop) all Cardinals are Bishops.

Not historically true. E.g., Cardinal Mazarin was a Deacon, inter alia over time.

I note, too, that Cardinal Dulles uses a Miter, as do many mitered abbots, etc. The miter is not limited to Bishops, contrary to a post above.

Since the 60’s, by Canon Law, all Cardinals must be Bishops absent a dispensation from the Pope.

Before that all Cardinals had to be clerics - Deacons, Priests or Bishops - thus all had to have received Orders and all must have been men.

To answer the OP, all Cardinals must be men.

A more interesting question is: must all papal electors be men? Certainly as currently restricted to the Sacred College the answer is yes. However, the Sacred College was not always the electoral body. Before the College was made the body to elect the Pope in the middle ages the clergy of Rome chose the Pope. Before that it seems that the general population at least sometimes chose the Pope. If the “general population” included women, then one might have an argument that women could be electors if Canon Law were to be changed. Naturally women could not be elected as the Pope must be a Bishop. I don’t know if the issue has ever been addressed.

 

[johnnykins]

Wow! you are right! I read several biographies and none mention that even though they all talked about his conversion and his Cardinalship.

So the last lay Cardinal was in 1858 - before the 1917 canon law.

There was never a lay Cardinal - only ones who were Deacons, Priests and Bishops.

 

[snhs]

Naturally women could not be elected as the Pope must be a Bishop.

I think technically speaking any lay man could also be elected Pope, although he’d need to be made a Bishop before he could become Pope.

 

[johnnykins]

I think technically speaking any lay man could also be elected Pope, although he’d need to be made a Bishop before he could become Pope.

agreed

 

[benedictgal]

I think technically speaking any lay man could also be elected Pope, although he’d need to be made a Bishop before he could become Pope.

Especially since the Holy Father is also the Bishop of Rome.