In the historical practice of theCatholic Church, alay cardinal was a man whom thepope appointed to theCollege of Cardinals while still alayman. This appointment carried with it the obligation to be ordained to aclerical order,[1] meaning that "laycardinal" was not a permanent state, but a term in reference to a man who was appointed cardinal prior to taking on theclerical state corresponding to that appointment.[2]
The current law of the Catholic Church is that a man must be first ordained at least apriest in order to be considered for appointment as a cardinal.[3]
 |
| Name | Year created cardinal | Highest clerical order received |
|---|---|---|
| Pope Paul III | 1493 | Pope |
| Pope Leo X | 1489 | Pope |
| Charles Borromeo | 1560 | Archbishop |
| Ferdinando I de' Medici | 1562 | Minor orders[4] |
| Maurice of Savoy | 1607 | Minor orders[4] |
| Francisco Gómez Rojas de Sandoval | 1618[5] | Priest[6] |
| Ferdinand of Austria | 1620 | Minor orders[7] |
| Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino | 1641 | Minor orders |
| Marino Carafa di Belvedere [it] | 1801 | Resigned before being ordained[8][9] |
| Teodolfo Mertel | 1858 | Deacon[10] |
In 1917,Pope Benedict XV promulgated the first edition of theCode of Canon Law, which included a provision that a man must be first ordained a priest prior to being considered for appointment as a cardinal.[11]
According toThe New York Times,Pope Paul VI considered making the French Catholic philosopherJacques Maritain a cardinal in 1965.[12]
Laymen were named Cardinals only for twelve months, being bound within that period to takeDeacon's orders
In all these cases, however, it is clear that someorders had been taken; and therefore, in the strict sense of the term, these Cardinals were no longer laymen.
