Rachel Evans
As of 15 June 2025, there are 251 cardinals in the Catholic Church, 132 of whom are eligible to participate in a papal conclave. Cardinals are senior members of the clergy of the Catholic Church, chosen by the pope, and they serve as his advisors. They are typically ordained bishops and generally hold important roles within the church. While most cardinals belong to the Latin Church, a small number belong to one of the twenty-three autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches. There are currently eight Eastern Catholic cardinals, including five cardinal electors. There are several African cardinals, and in 2020, Wilton Gregory became the first African-American cardinal in history.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | As of 15 June 2025, there are 251 cardinals in total |
| Cardinal electors | 132 |
| Black cardinals | Wilton Gregory is the first African-American cardinal in history. There are also several cardinals from African countries, including Egypt, Angola, Cameroon, Uganda, South Africa, Sudan, Senegal, Lesotho, and Mozambique. |
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What You'll Learn
Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the first African-American cardinal
As of 15 June 2025, there were 251 cardinals, 132 of whom were cardinal electors. 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.
On 31 October 1983, Gregory was appointed by Pope John Paul II as an auxiliary bishop of Chicago and titular bishop of Oliva. At 35, he was the youngest bishop in the country. He was consecrated on 13 December 1983 and installed on 10 February 1994 as the seventh Bishop of the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois. In 1998, he was elected as USCCB vice president and as the chair of several committees. Three years later, in 2001, he was elected as USCCB president, becoming the second African-American to head an episcopal conference.
On 9 December 2004, Gregory was appointed the sixth Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, and he was installed on 17 January 2005. He was the third African-American archbishop in the United States. On 4 April 2019, Pope Francis appointed him as the seventh Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, and he was installed on 21 May 2019. On 25 October 2020, Pope Francis named Archbishop Gregory one of thirteen new cardinals from around the world. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals in a consistory in Rome on 28 November 2020. Cardinal Gregory currently serves as a member of the Vatican Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, and on the Board of Trustees for the Papal Foundation. He has written extensively on church issues and has published numerous articles on liturgy, particularly in the African American community.
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Cardinal electors and the election of a new pope
Cardinals are senior members of the Catholic Church's clergy. 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.
When the pope dies or resigns, the governance of the Catholic Church passes to the College of Cardinals. The cardinals hold a series of meetings at the Vatican, known as general congregations, to discuss the needs and challenges facing the Catholic Church globally. They also prepare for the upcoming papal election, called a conclave.
Cardinal electors are those cardinals who are eligible to vote in a conclave. Under current ecclesiastical law, only cardinals who have not passed their 80th birthdays on the day the Holy See becomes vacant are eligible to take part in a papal conclave to elect a new pope. In the 2025 conclave, there were 132 or 133 cardinal electors, exceeding the nominal maximum of 120. The cardinal electors represented 70 countries on all six inhabited continents.
The election of a new pope takes place in the Sistine Chapel. Before voting begins, all non-electors must leave the chapel. The senior cardinal deacon then closes the doors, opening and closing them only as needed, such as when the infirmarii go to collect the votes of ill cardinals and return. Each cardinal elector receives at least two or three ballots, which they fill out by writing the name of their chosen candidate on the ballot, folding it, holding it aloft, and carrying it to the altar.
Voting occurs four times a day—twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon—until a candidate receives a two-thirds supermajority of the vote. If, after three days, no candidate has been chosen, voting is paused for one day of prayer, informal discussions, and a brief spiritual exhortation by the senior cardinal deacon. After every seven additional rounds without success, another pause and exhortation follow, first by the senior cardinal priest and later, if necessary, by the senior cardinal bishop. Once a pope is elected, he is led to the "Room of Tears," a small room next to the Sistine Chapel where he dons the white papal vestments for the first time. The ballots of the final round are burned with chemicals, producing white smoke to signal to the world the election of a new pope.
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Cardinal bishops, priests and deacons
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. They constitute the College of Cardinals. One of their most important duties is to elect a new pope, almost always from among themselves.
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 are cardinal bishops. The two most senior cardinal bishops, the dean and vice dean, are elected by the cardinal bishops (excluding the Eastern Catholic patriarchs) from among themselves with papal approval. Cardinal bishops who are Eastern Catholic patriarchs are ranked after the six Latin Church cardinal bishops of the suburbicarian sees.
Cardinal priests are the most numerous of the three orders of cardinals in the Catholic Church, ranking above cardinal deacons and below cardinal bishops. They are typically bishops in charge of dioceses around the world, as well as former cardinal deacons who have opted to be elevated to become cardinal priests.
Cardinal deacons are bishops who work in the Roman Curia or the diplomatic service of the Holy See, as well as other clergy, including priests who have been granted a dispensation not to be consecrated as bishops before becoming cardinals. They have the choice of opting to become cardinal priests after having been cardinal deacons for ten years.
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Cardinals from Africa
Cardinals are senior members of the Catholic Church's clergy who serve as advisors to the pope. They are typically ordained bishops and hold important roles within the church, such as leading prominent archdioceses or heading dicasteries within the Roman Curia. As of 15 June 2025, there were 251 cardinals, 132 of whom were eligible to participate in a papal conclave. Cardinals come from 7 continents and are distributed across 94 countries.
Several African countries are represented in the College of Cardinals. Here are some examples of African cardinals:
- Wilfrid Fox Napier, South Africa, Archbishop emeritus of Durban
- Gabriel Zubeir Wako, Sudan, Archbishop emeritus of Khartoum
- Théodore-Adrien Sarr, Senegal, Archbishop emeritus of Dakar
- Sebastian Koto Khoarai, Lesotho, Bishop emeritus of Mohale's Hoek
- Júlio Duarte Langa, Mozambique, Bishop emeritus of Xai-Xai
- Alexandre José Maria dos Santos, Mozambique, Archbishop emeritus of Maputo
- Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala, Uganda
- Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, Nigeria
These African cardinals play a significant role in the Catholic Church's leadership and contribute to its global presence.
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Cardinals from 7 continents and 94 countries
As of 15 June 2025, there were 251 cardinals, 132 of whom were cardinal electors. The College of Cardinals is composed of cardinals from 7 continents and 94 countries. Italy has the most cardinals, with 51, followed by the United States with 17, and Brazil with 7. A total of 71 countries have elector 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 hold important roles within the church, such as leading prominent archdioceses or heading dicasteries within the Roman Curia. One of their main duties is to elect a new pope when the position becomes vacant. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote for the next pope.
The College of Cardinals is divided into three orders: 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 bishops typically in charge of dioceses around the world. Cardinal Deacons are bishops who work in the Roman Curia or the diplomatic service of the Holy See.
The two most senior cardinal bishops, currently Giovanni Battista Re and Leonardo Sandri, are elected by the cardinal bishops (excluding the Eastern Catholic patriarchs) with papal approval. The most senior cardinal priest is currently Michael Michai Kitbunchu, and the senior cardinal deacon is Vinko Puljić.
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