Michael Brooks
As of 15 June 2025, there are 251 cardinals, 132 of whom are cardinal electors. Most cardinals belong to the Latin Church, but a small number are members of one of the twenty-three autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches. There are currently eight Eastern Catholic cardinals, five of whom are cardinal electors. The College of Cardinals is composed of men chosen by the Pope to be his closest advisors and collaborators. They are typically ordained bishops and hold important roles within the church.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Total number of cardinals | 251 |
| Number of cardinal electors | 132 or 133 |
| Number of Eastern Catholic cardinals | 8 |
| Number of Eastern Catholic cardinal electors | 5 |
| Cardinal bishops (excluding Eastern Catholic patriarchs) | Giovanni Battista Re (dean), Leonardo Sandri (vice dean) |
| Cardinal bishops (Eastern Catholic patriarchs) | Led by the Cardinal Dean, who holds two titles: Ostia and the one he holds at the time of his promotion to Dean |
| Cardinal priests | Michael Michai Kitbunchu (most senior), Vinko Puljić (most senior among cardinal electors) |
| Cardinal deacons | Bishops who work in the Roman Curia or the diplomatic service of the Holy See |
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What You'll Learn
There are eight Eastern Catholic Cardinals
The College of Cardinals is composed of men whom the Pope has elevated to the dignity of Cardinal, entrusting them with the duty to be his close advisors and collaborators, and to elect his successor. They are senior members of the clergy of the Catholic Church and serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome. They are chosen by the pope and formally created in a consistory, and one of their foremost duties is the election of a new pope.
Cardinals are generally bishops, though the Popes may grant exceptions. In recent decades, for instance, this exception has been granted for theologians the Popes have wished to honour. Under current law, a Cardinal must at least be a priest. 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 is divided into three orders. Cardinal Bishops are chosen by the pope to be titular bishops of the suburbicarian dioceses in the vicinity of Rome, plus a few additional cardinals who have been "co-opted" as cardinal bishops, as well as patriarchs who lead one of the Eastern Catholic Churches. The Cardinal Dean holds two titles, Ostia and the one he held at the time of his promotion. Thus, there are only six Cardinal Bishops at a time, plus however many Eastern Patriarchs there are. The two most senior cardinal bishops, who are elected by the cardinal bishops (excluding the Eastern Catholic patriarchs), are the dean and the vice dean.
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Five are cardinal electors
Cardinals are senior members of the Catholic Church's clergy. They are chosen by the Pope to be his advisors and to elect his successor. They are typically ordained bishops and hold important roles within the Church, such as leading prominent archdioceses or heading dicasteries within the Roman Curia.
Cardinals are 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. They also include a few additional cardinals who have been "co-opted" as cardinal bishops, as well as patriarchs who lead one of the Eastern Catholic Churches. The two most senior cardinal bishops, the dean and the vice dean, are elected by the other cardinal bishops (excluding the Eastern Catholic patriarchs) from among themselves with papal approval.
Cardinal Priests are bishops typically in charge of dioceses around the world, as well as former cardinal deacons who have chosen 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.
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, five of whom are cardinal electors. These five cardinal electors belong to seven particular churches sui iuris.
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They belong to seven sui iuris churches
As of 15 June 2025, there are 251 cardinals, 132 of whom are cardinal electors. Most cardinals belong to the Latin Church, but a small number belong to one of the 23 autonomous (sui iuris) Eastern Catholic Churches.
There are currently eight Eastern Catholic cardinals, including five cardinal electors, belonging to seven particular churches sui iuris. These cardinals are chosen by the pope and serve as his advisors and collaborators. One of their foremost duties is to elect the pope's successor.
The College of Cardinals is divided into three orders, with cardinal bishops being the smallest of the three ranks. Cardinal bishops include patriarchs who lead one of the Eastern Catholic Churches. For cardinal bishops who are Eastern Catholic patriarchs, their precedence is determined by the date of the consistory in which they were created cardinals.
Cardinals belonging to the Eastern Catholic Churches hold important offices in the Roman Curia. They are generally bishops, but the popes may grant exceptions.
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Cardinal bishops are chosen by the Pope
As of 15 June 2025, there are 251 cardinals, 132 of whom are cardinal electors. The College of Cardinals is divided into three orders: Cardinal Bishops, Cardinal Priests, and Cardinal Deacons.
Cardinal Bishops are the smallest of the three ranks of Cardinals, tracing their history to the role played in the early Church by the bishops of the seven dioceses surrounding Rome, called the suburbicarian (suburban) Sees of Rome. Cardinal Bishops are chosen by the Pope and hold the title, as opposed to the actual office, of those seven Sees. They are generally bishops, though the Popes may grant exceptions, as in the case of theologians the Popes have wished to honour. Under current law, a Cardinal must at least be a priest.
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. The Cardinal Dean holds two titles, Ostia and the one he held at the time of his promotion to Dean. Thus, there are only six Cardinal Bishops at a time, plus however many Eastern Patriarchs there are.
Cardinal Bishops who are Eastern Catholic patriarchs, as well as patriarchs who lead one of the Eastern Catholic Churches, are chosen by the Pope. While most cardinals belong to the Latin Church, a small number of cardinals belong to one of the twenty-three autonomous (sui iuris) Eastern Catholic Churches. At present, there are eight Eastern Catholic cardinals, including five cardinal electors, belonging to seven particular churches sui iuris.
Cardinals are senior members of the clergy of the Catholic Church and are chosen by the Pope. 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. They are the Pope's closest advisors and collaborators, and one of their foremost duties is the election of a new pope.
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Cardinal bishops exclude Eastern Catholic patriarchs
Cardinals are senior members of the Catholic Church's clergy. They are chosen by the pope and are typically ordained bishops. They hold important roles within the church, such as leading prominent archdioceses or heading dicasteries within the Roman Curia. They are also the exclusive electors of the Popes.
Cardinal Bishops are the smallest of the three ranks of Cardinals. They are chosen by the pope to be titular bishops of the seven suburbicarian dioceses in the vicinity of Rome. There are six cardinal bishops at a time, 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, the dean and vice dean, are elected by the cardinal bishops themselves with papal approval. For cardinal bishops (excluding Eastern Catholic patriarchs), the dean is first in precedence, followed by the vice dean, and then by the order of appointment as cardinal bishops.
Eastern Catholic patriarchs, also known as Cardinal Patriarchs, are patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches who have been named cardinals. They rank lower than the Latin Cardinal Bishops because they live and work where their patriarchal residence is established, and thus have particular pastoral duties to govern their flock according to Eastern traditions.
In 1965, Pope Paul VI decreed that Eastern Catholic patriarchs who were named cardinals would also be cardinal bishops, ranking after the six Latin Church cardinal bishops of the suburbicarian sees. Therefore, while Eastern Catholic patriarchs are considered cardinal bishops, they are excluded from the seniority rankings of the Latin Church cardinal bishops, which are determined by the date of appointment to the rank.
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Frequently asked questions
There are currently eight Eastern Catholic Cardinals, five of whom are cardinal electors.
Eastern Catholic Cardinals are Cardinals who hold the more important offices in the Roman Curia or who, as Patriarchs of Eastern Catholic Churches, have been granted equivalent dignity in law since Pope Paul VI. They are the smallest of the three ranks of Cardinals, tracing their history to the bishops of the seven dioceses surrounding Rome.
The College of Cardinals is divided into three orders: Cardinal Bishops, Cardinal Priests, and Cardinal Deacons.
