Ethan Walker
Cardinals are senior members of the Catholic Church's clergy who act as advisers to the pope. They are selected by the pope and are typically ordained bishops who hold important roles within the church. As of July 2025, there are 250 cardinals, 131 of whom are eligible to participate in a papal conclave. Cardinals in pastoral ministry are classified by the country in which their dioceses are located, although they may be citizens of another country. Notable American cardinals include Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, Raymond Burke of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, and James Harvey, archpriest of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of American Catholic Cardinals | 4 |
| Cardinals | Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, Cardinal Raymond Burke |
| American-born Pope | Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost |
| Archdioceses led by a Cardinal | Chicago, St. Louis, Holy See (2) |
| Number of Active Foreign-born Bishops in the US | 38 |
| Percentage of all Active American Bishops that are Foreign-born | 12% |
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What You'll Learn
American Cardinals in the Holy See
Cardinals are senior members of the clergy of the Catholic Church. They are chosen by the pope and serve as his advisors. One of their foremost duties is the election of a new pope when the Holy See is vacant. They constitute the College of Cardinals.
As of 4 July 2025, there were 250 cardinals, 131 of whom were eligible to participate in a papal conclave. The threshold number of votes needed to be elected pope with the required two-thirds supermajority is 88. Most cardinals belong to the Latin Church, but 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.
Cardinals are typically ordained bishops and usually hold important roles within the church, such as leading prominent archdioceses or heading dicasteries within the Roman Curia. They are classified under the country in which their respective dioceses are located, although they may be citizens of another country. For example, the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, provides pastoral care and spiritual services to those serving in the armed forces of the United States.
Some American cardinals include Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, and Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington.
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Cardinals in the US Military
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.
In the United States, the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS) provides pastoral care and spiritual services to those serving in the armed forces, Department of Veterans Affairs facilities, and their dependents. The AMS is headed by an archbishop and has jurisdiction over Catholics serving in the military, both in the United States and overseas. The current archbishop is Timothy P. Broglio, who was appointed in 2025.
The AMS is assisted by several auxiliary bishops, including Bishop Spencer, Bishop Buckon, Bishop Muhm, and Bishop Coffey. Together, they oversee Catholic priests serving as chaplains, who are organized into the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps, Navy Chaplain Corps, and those serving in the reserve components of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force.
One notable cardinal with a military background is John Joseph O'Connor. He served as Bishop of Scranton from 1979 to 1983 and was later appointed Archbishop of New York. He was elevated to Cardinal in 1985. Additionally, Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl served as Archbishop Emeritus of Washington.
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American Cardinals and the Election of the Pope
Cardinals are senior members of the clergy of the Catholic Church. They are chosen by the pope and serve as his advisors. One of their foremost duties is the election of a new pope when the Holy See is vacant, which occurs following the death or resignation of a pope. This process of electing a new pope is known as a papal conclave, an ancient tradition in the Catholic Church. During the conclave, cardinals under the age of 80 in the College of Cardinals vote to elect a new pontiff. The camerlengo, a cardinal in the Catholic Church, is in charge of organizing the election.
The election of a new pope is a highly secretive process. Vatican City becomes strictly regulated, and cardinals are not permitted to communicate with anyone outside the election area. The electors vote secretly via ballots that read "in summum pontificem" or "I elect as supreme pontiff." The ballots are placed in urns and counted by three cardinals chosen by a random draw from the electors. The process continues until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote.
In May 2025, Robert Francis Prevost, an American cardinal, was elected as the 267th pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. Pope Leo XIV was the first American pope and was born in Chicago, Illinois. He served for two decades in Peru, where he became a naturalized citizen and served as a bishop. He was appointed a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023 and was considered a front-runner to succeed him.
There are several other American cardinals, including Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, and Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington. These cardinals play a crucial role in the Catholic Church and are responsible for electing the pope, one of the most significant decisions they can make.
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American Cardinals as Bishops
Cardinals are senior members of the Catholic Church's clergy who serve as advisors to the pope, the bishop of Rome. They are typically ordained bishops and usually hold important positions within the church, such as leading prominent archdioceses or heading departments within the Roman Curia. The pope selects cardinals, who are then formally appointed during a consistory. Cardinals are in charge of choosing a new pope when the position becomes vacant, although the new pope is not required to be chosen from among their ranks. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to participate in the election of a new pope, according to current ecclesiastical law.
Cardinal bishops are a type of cardinal who are chosen by the pope to be titular bishops of the seven suburbicarian dioceses near Rome. There are six cardinals who are cardinal bishops, in addition to a few more who have been exceptionally "co-opted" as cardinal bishops and patriarchs who lead one of the Eastern Catholic Churches. The two most senior cardinal bishops, the dean and vice dean, are chosen by the other cardinal bishops (excluding the Eastern Catholic patriarchs) and approved by the pope. The cardinal electors' senior cardinal bishop is Pietro Parolin.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is made up of all active and retired bishops from the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Catholic Church in the United States includes 176 Latin Church dioceses in the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) are all a part of the Catholic Church in the United States.
The 176 Latin Church dioceses in the United States are divided into 33 ecclesiastical provinces, each of which has a metropolitan archdiocese led by an archbishop and at least one suffragan diocese led by a bishop. The pope appoints all archbishops and bishops, who must first be ordained priests. The pope makes his selections from a list of candidates submitted by the papal nuncio of the United States to the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome. Most archdioceses and large dioceses have one or more auxiliary bishops, who work under the archbishop or bishop's direction. The pope appoints all auxiliary bishops after consulting with the papal nuncio to the United States.
Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, and Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, are a few well-known American cardinals. Additionally, two other American cardinals, Kevin Farrell and James Harvey, serve in the Holy See.
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American Cardinals in the Eastern Catholic Church
Cardinals are senior members of the Catholic Church clergy, serving as advisors to the pope and holding important roles such as leading prominent archdioceses. They are typically ordained bishops and are chosen by the pope.
In the Catholic Church, there are two categories of cardinals: cardinal bishops and cardinal priests. Cardinal bishops are chosen by the pope to be titular bishops of the suburbicarian dioceses near Rome, while cardinal priests are bishops who lead dioceses around the world.
While most cardinals belong to the Latin Church, a small number are part of the Eastern Catholic Churches. There are currently eight Eastern Catholic cardinals, including five cardinal electors. These cardinals belong to seven particular churches that are autonomous or "sui iuris."
The United States is home to several Eastern Catholic Eparchies and Archeparchies, which have jurisdiction over large areas of the country. These include the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, which provides spiritual care to those serving in the armed forces and their dependents.
Some notable American cardinals include Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, and Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington. These individuals hold significant positions within the Catholic Church in the United States and are part of its hierarchical structure.
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Frequently asked questions
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.
As of June 2025, four metropolitan archdioceses in the United States are led by a cardinal. There are also two other American cardinals serving in the Holy See: Kevin Farrell and James Harvey.
The American Catholic cardinals include Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, Raymond Burke, Kevin Farrell, and James Harvey.
American Catholic cardinals hold significant roles within the Catholic Church. They oversee archdioceses or dioceses, provide pastoral care, and serve as advisors to the pope. They also have the important duty of electing a new pope when the position becomes vacant.
