Dean of the College of Cardinals

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The Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals is the president of the College of Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church, and as such always holds the rank of Cardinal Bishop. The Dean is not necessarily the longest-serving member of the whole College (who might never become a Cardinal Bishop). For example, the longest-serving cardinal at present is Stephen Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan, who is a Cardinal Priest. It was customary for centuries for the longest-serving of the six Cardinal Bishops of suburbicarian sees to be Dean, and this was in fact required by canon law from 1917 until Pope Paul VI empowered the six to elect him from among their number in 1965. This election, a formality until the time of Pope John Paul II, must be confirmed by the pope. While the Dean (or in his absence or inability, the Subdean) presides over the College of Cardinals, he has no power of governance over the other cardinals. Instead he functions as primus inter pares in the college. There is no mandatory age of retirement for the position.

It is the Dean's responsibility to summon the conclave to elect a new pope when the previous one dies or resigns, and to preside over the conclave unless he is too old to vote in it. Additionally, the dean has the responsibility of communicating the "news of the Pope's death to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See and to the Heads of the respective Nations." [1] According to Canon 355 (from the Latin Code of Canon Law 1983), if the newly-elected Supreme Pontiff is not already a bishop, it is the right of the Dean to ordain him as such. If the Dean is unable, then the right falls to the Sub-Dean, and then to the senior Cardinal Bishop.

According to section 4 of Canon 350, the Cardinal Dean has "the title of the diocese of Ostia, together with that of any other church to which he already has a title." The Cardinal Dean, then, continues to hold the title of his former suburbicarian diocese as well as being titular bishop of Ostia. This has been the case since 1914, by decree of St. Pius X—previous deans had given up their prior suburbicarian see for the joint titles of Ostia and Velletri.

Contents

[edit] Deans of the Sacred College of Cardinals

Each name is followed by years of birth and death, then comma-separated years of cardinalate and deanship. Two recent deans have chosen to retire before dying, while six were elected Pope, Gregory IX, Alexander IV Alexander VI, Paul III, Paul IV and most recently Benedict XVI (Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, elected Pope in 2005, the first Dean to be so elevated since Pope Paul IV in 1555).

[edit] Before the Great Western Schism

[edit] Great Western Schism

The obedience of Rome (1378-1415)

The obedience of Avignon (1378-1429)

  • Ange de Grimoard (until 1388)
  • Pietro Corsini (1335-1405) (1370, 1388)
  • Gui de Malsec (d. 1412) (1375, 1405, deposed 1409)
  • Jean Flandrin (after 1301-1415) (1390, 1405)
  • Vacant after 1415 (possibly Julián Lobera y Valtierra 1423-29)

The obedience of Pisa (1409-1415)

[edit] After the Council of Constance

[edit] References

  1. ^ Pope John Paul II (22 February 1996). Universi Dominici Gregis, art. 19. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Retrieved on 2007-10-08.
  2. ^ a b c The sequence and dates for the period 1227-1254 are according to Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1929, p. 112 and 117-118. However, more recent sources indicate that Pelagio Galvani died rather in 1230 (not in 1240)[1], and Jacques de Vitry in 1240 (not in 1244)[2]. If these new dates are correct, the sequence of the deans for that period - according to the order of seniority - would be following:
    • Pelagio Galvani (1165-1230) (1205, 1227)
    • Jean Halgrin (1180-1237) (1227, 1230)
    • Jacques de Vitry (1160/70-1240) (1228, 1237)
    • Rinaldo Conti di Segni (1185-1261) (1227, 1240, elected Pope in 1254)
  3. ^ According to Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1929, p. 127 cardinal Saint-Martin, bishop of Sabina, died on March 28, 1275, and shortly thereafter was succeeded in the see of Sabina by Giovanni Visconti, who became dean of the Sacred College in September 1276, being the only cardinal-bishop in the Sacred College at that time. However, Konrad Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi. Volumen I, p. 9 and 38 denies that Visconti was ever promoted to the cardinalate and indicates that Bertrand de Saint-Martin remained bishop of Sabina until 1277 and was the only cardinal-bishop after September 8, 1276.
  4. ^ He was the most senior cardinal-bishop in Roman obedience, although S. Miranda in his biographical entry does not mention that he was dean of the College
  5. ^ It is not certain if he was deposed by Gregory XII. After 1409 Cardinal Antonio Correr may have been acting dean in the Roman Obedience as the only Cardinal Bishop who remained faithful to Gregory XII
  6. ^ Former Pope Gregory XII of the Roman obedience
  7. ^ Former Pisan Antipope John XXIII
  8. ^ Although Pierre de Foix, bishop of Albano was the most senior Cardinal-Bishop 1445-64, he was omitted in the fulfilling the post of the dean of the Sacred College, because he resided outside Roman Curia
  9. ^ Cardinal-bishop of Sabina. Former Antipope Felix V. [3]
  10. ^ He opted for the see of Ostia e Velletri in November 1503. From that time deans of the College of Cardinals usually opted for that see immediately after assuming that post, although few exceptions to this rule had occurred.
  11. ^ Cardinal-bishop of Frascati [4].
  12. ^ Cardinal-bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina. According to L. Pastor "History of the Popes vol. XXXIV", London 1941 p. 303 and Valérie Pirie "The Triple Crown: An Account of the Papal Conclaves" he was Dean of the Sacred College in the Papal conclave, 1730. Also G. Moroni, Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da S. Pietro sino ai nostri giorni, vol. X, p. 15, affirms that he was dean of the Sacred College but never opted for the see of Ostia e Velletri.
  13. ^ Salvador Miranda indicates that Cardinal Fabrizio Serbelloni was dean of the Sacred College 1774-1775 [5], but according to G. Moroni, Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da S. Pietro sino ai nostri giorn vol. LXIV, p. 173, Serbelloni was named bishop of Ostia e Velletri on April 18, 1774 only for that reason, that Albani, who became dean at the death of Cavalchini, refused to resign the bishopric of Porto e Santa Rufina. However, Cardinal Albani eventually opted for the see of Ostia e Velletri after the death of Serbelloni in the following year


v • d • e
Dean of the College of Cardinals
R. d'Elci (1670–1761) (1737, 1755) • G. Spinelli (1694–1763) (1735, 1761) • C. Cavalchini (1683–1774) (1743, 1763) • G. Albani (1720–1803) (1747, 1774) • H. Stuart (1725–1807) (1747, 1803) • L. Antonelli (1730–1811) (1775, 1807) •
A. Mattei (1744–1820) (1779, 1814) • G. della Somaglia (1744–1830) (1795, 1820) • B. Pacca (1756–1844) (1801, 1830) • L. Micara (1775–1847) (1824, 1844) • V. Macchi (1770–1860) (1826, 1847) • M. Mattei (1792–1870) (1832, 1860) •
C. Naro (1798–1876) (1834, 1870) • L. di San Filippo e Sorso (1796–1878) (1837, 1876) • C. di Pietro (1878-1884) • C. Sacconi (1884-1889) • R. Monaco La Valetta (1889-1896) • L. Oreglia di Santo Stefano (1896–1913) • S. Vannutelli (1913-1915) • V. Vannutelli (1915-1930) • G. Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte (1930-1948) • F. Marchetti-Selvaggiani (1948-1951) • E. Tisserant (1951-1972) • A. G. Cicognani (1972-1973) • L. Traglia (1974-1977) • C. Confalonieri (1977-1986) • A. Rossi (1986-1993) • B. Gantin (1993-2002) • J. Ratzinger (2002-2005) • A. Sodano (2005-)