Grace Thompson
Cardinals are senior members of the clergy of the Catholic Church, chosen by the Pope to be his close advisors and collaborators. They are typically ordained bishops and generally hold important roles within the church, such as leading prominent archdioceses or heading dicasteries within the Roman Curia. As of 15 June 2025, there are 251 cardinals, 132 of whom are cardinal electors. Cardinals are distributed across 71 countries across 7 continents. They are divided into three ranks: cardinal bishops, cardinal priests, and cardinal deacons.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of cardinals as of 15 June 2025 | 251 |
| Number of cardinal electors as of 15 June 2025 | 132 |
| Maximum number of cardinals allowed to take part in a conclave | 120 |
| Number of countries with cardinals | 94 |
| Number of countries with elector cardinals | 71 |
| Number of continents with cardinals | 7 |
| Number of Eastern Catholic cardinals | 8 |
| Number of cardinal electors who are Eastern Catholic cardinals | 5 |
| Number of institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life represented by cardinal electors | 27 |
| Number of new cardinals created in the most recent consistory | 21 |
| Number of cardinal electors created in the most recent consistory | 20 |
| Number of cardinals who are cardinal bishops | 6 |
| Number of cardinal bishops who are Eastern Catholic patriarchs | Variable |
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What You'll Learn
How cardinals are chosen
Cardinals are senior members of the clergy of the Catholic Church. They are chosen by the pope and formally created in a consistory. They are typically ordained bishops and generally hold important roles within the church, such as leading prominent archdioceses or heading dicasteries within the Roman Curia.
There are three orders of cardinals: cardinal bishops, cardinal priests, and cardinal deacons. Cardinal bishops are chosen by the pope to be titular bishops of the suburbicarian dioceses in the vicinity of Rome. They also include patriarchs who lead one of the Eastern Catholic Churches. The two most senior cardinal bishops, known as the dean and vice-dean, are elected by the cardinal bishops from among themselves with papal approval. Cardinal priests are bishops in charge of dioceses around the world, as well as former cardinal deacons who have been elevated to the rank of cardinal priest. Cardinal deacons are the lowest-ranking cardinals, either officials of the Roman Curia or priests elevated after their 80th birthday.
The process of becoming a cardinal usually involves being appointed by the pope. Cardinals are chosen from a variety of backgrounds, in addition to their existing roles within the Church. Most cardinals are bishops and archbishops leading dioceses and archdioceses around the world. A small number of cardinals belong to one of the Eastern Catholic Churches. Cardinals are distributed across 71 countries, with a total of 251 cardinals as of June 15, 2025.
While the pope has the final authority in appointing cardinals, there are certain traditions and requirements that guide the process. For example, tradition dictates that no diocese will have more than one cardinal of voting age. Additionally, bishops are required to submit their resignation at age 75, but cardinals can still vote in a conclave until they turn 80.
The role of cardinals is primarily to serve as advisors and assistants to the pope. One of their most important duties is the election of a new pope when the Holy See is vacant. Cardinals hold a series of meetings called general congregations to discuss the needs and challenges facing the Catholic Church and prepare for the papal election, or conclave. The election is conducted by secret ballot, with four rounds of balloting taken every day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote. Once a new pope is elected, the senior cardinal deacon announces "Habemus Papam" ("We have a pope") from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.
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The role of cardinals
Cardinals are senior members of the clergy of the Catholic Church. They are chosen by the pope and serve as his advisors. They are typically ordained bishops and generally hold important roles within the church, such as leading prominent archdioceses or heading dicasteries within the Roman Curia.
The College of Cardinals, also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. As of 15 June 2025, there were 251 cardinals, of whom 132 were eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, cardinals serve for life, but become ineligible to participate in a papal conclave if they turn 80 before a papal vacancy occurs.
Cardinals have two chief duties: assisting the pope in governing the worldwide Church and, most importantly, electing each new pope, usually from among their number. This right to elect the pope, or papal elections, is reserved exclusively for the cardinals and represents a significant shift in the balance of power in the Early Medieval world.
The three types of cardinals are cardinal bishops, cardinal priests, and cardinal deacons. Cardinal bishops are the senior order of cardinals and are engaged in full-time service in the Roman Curia. Cardinal priests are the most numerous of the three orders and are either officials of the Roman Curia or bishops whose dioceses are outside Rome. Cardinal deacons are titular bishops assigned to full-time service in the Roman Curia or are theologians honoured by the pope for their contribution to the Church.
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The history of cardinals
Cardinals are senior members of the clergy of the Catholic Church. The term 'cardinal' is derived from the Latin 'cardō', meaning 'hinge'. The office of cardinal evolved during the first millennium from the clergy of Rome. The first time the term 'cardinal' appears in the Liber Pontificalis is in the biography of Pope Stephen III, when it was decided that the Roman pontiff should be elected from among the deacons and cardinal priests.
The College of Cardinals, also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. The College played an integral part in various reforms within the Church, as early as the pontificate of Pope Leo IX in 1050. In the 12th century, the Third Council of the Lateran declared that only cardinals could assume the papacy, a requirement that has since lapsed. In 1130, under Pope Innocent II, all the classes were permitted to take part in papal elections. Since 1059, Cardinals have served as the exclusive electors of the Popes, and the College itself was given its current form in 1150.
From the 13th to 15th centuries, the size of the College of Cardinals never exceeded thirty. Pope John XXII (1316-1334) formalized this norm by limiting the college to twenty members. In the ensuing century, increasing the size of the college became a method for the pope to raise funds for construction or war, cultivate European alliances, and dilute the strength of the college as a spiritual and political counterweight to papal supremacy.
Cardinals are chosen by the pope and formally created in a consistory. They are typically ordained bishops and generally hold important roles within the church, such as leading prominent archdioceses or heading dicasteries within the Roman Curia. Cardinals of working age are often appointed to roles overseeing dicasteries (departments) of the Roman Curia, the central administration of the Catholic Church.
The College of Cardinals is internally divided into three orders or ranks: Cardinal Bishops, Cardinal Priests, and Cardinal Deacons. Cardinal Bishops are chosen by the pope to be titular bishops of the suburbicarian dioceses in the vicinity of Rome. Cardinal Priests are the most numerous of the three orders of cardinals in the Catholic Church, ranking above the cardinal deacons and below the cardinal bishops. They are generally bishops of important dioceses throughout the world, though some hold Curial positions. Cardinal Deacons hold the lowest rank of Cardinals.
As of 15 June 2025, there are 251 cardinals, 132 of whom are cardinal electors. Cardinals come from 7 continents and are distributed in 94 countries.
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How many cardinals there are currently
Cardinals are senior members of the clergy of the Catholic Church. They are chosen by the pope and serve as his advisors, holding the title for life. They are typically ordained bishops and generally hold important roles within the church, such as leading prominent archdioceses or heading dicasteries within the Roman Curia.
Cardinals are divided into three ranks: cardinal bishops, cardinal priests, and cardinal deacons. Cardinal bishops are the highest rank of cardinals, followed by cardinal priests, and then cardinal deacons. Cardinal bishops are chosen by the pope to be titular bishops of the seven suburbicarian dioceses in the vicinity of Rome. There are six cardinals who hold this position, in addition to a few additional cardinals who have been "co-opted" as cardinal bishops. The two most senior cardinal bishops, known as the dean and vice dean, are currently Giovanni Battista Re and Leonardo Sandri, respectively.
Cardinal priests are the middle rank of cardinals and the most numerous. They include archbishops of major dioceses from around the world and officials of the Roman Curia. The most senior cardinal priest is currently Michael Michai Kitbunchu.
Cardinal deacons are the lowest rank of cardinals. They can rise through the ranks to become cardinal priests and then cardinal bishops. Cardinals are distributed across 71 countries, with a total of 251 cardinals as of 15 June 2025. Of these, 132 are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope.
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Where cardinals are based
Cardinals are senior members of the clergy of the Catholic Church. They are based all around the world, with cardinals from 7 continents and 94 countries. Cardinals are typically ordained bishops and generally hold important roles within the church, such as leading prominent archdioceses or heading dicasteries within the Roman Curia.
Cardinals are chosen by the pope and are based in the Diocese of Rome, where they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome. Each cardinal is assigned a titular church in the city of Rome. They are allowed to celebrate Mass and hear confessions and lead visits and pilgrimages to their titular churches, in coordination with the church staff.
Cardinals are classified under the country in which their respective dioceses are located, although they may be citizens of another country. They are often in charge of dioceses around the world, as well as former cardinal deacons who have opted to be elevated to become cardinal priests.
Cardinal bishops are chosen by the pope to be titular bishops of the seven suburbicarian dioceses in the vicinity of Rome, plus a few additional cardinals who have been exceptionally "co-opted" as cardinal bishops, as well as patriarchs who lead one of the Eastern Catholic Churches. The two most senior cardinal bishops, who are elected by the cardinal bishops (excluding the Eastern Catholic patriarchs) from among themselves with papal approval, are the dean and the vice dean.
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Frequently asked questions
As of 15 June 2025, there are 251 cardinals, 132 of whom are cardinal electors.
There are three types of cardinals: cardinal bishops, cardinal priests, and cardinal deacons.
Cardinals are chosen by the pope and formally created in a consistory. They are typically ordained bishops and generally hold important roles within the church.
Cardinals are senior members of the clergy of the Catholic Church and serve as close advisors to the pope. They also participate in papal consistories, where matters of importance to the Church are considered and new cardinals may be created. One of their foremost duties is the election of a new pope.
Cardinals of the College come from 94 countries across 7 continents. There are 71 countries with elector cardinals.
