o the scarlet robe which still
forms their costume of ceremony, it was already worn by cardinals
performing the functions of legate; and the use was soon extended to
all. As to their civil relations, cardinals were assimilated by the
Catholic kings to the rank of princes of the blood royal, cardinals
being the highest in the Church, after the pope, just as princes of the
blood royal are the first in the kingdom after the king. Of the many
ecclesiastical privileges enjoyed by the cardinals, we will mention only
two: the real, though nowadays restricted, jurisdiction which they
exercise over the churches forming their title or diaconia; and the
official style of address conferred on them by Urban VIII. (10th of June
1630), of Eminence, _Eminentissimo signore_.

Functions.

The most lofty function of the cardinals is the election of the pope
(see CONCLAVE). But this function is necessarily intermittent, and they
have many others to fulfil _sede plena_. On those rare occasions on
which the pope officiates in person, they carry out, according to their
respective orders, their former functions in the ritual. But they are,
above all, the assistants of the pope in the administration of the
Church; they fill certain permanent offices, such as those of
chancellor, penitentiary, &c.; or again, temporary missions, such as
that of legate _a latere_; they have seats in the councils and tribunals
which deal with the affairs of the Church, and the Roman congregations
of cardinals (see CURIA ROMANA).

BIBLIOGRAPHY.--All works on canon law contain a treatise on the
cardinals. See particularly, for the history, Thomassin, _Vetus et
nova discipl._, tom. I., lib. ii., cap. 113-115. For history and law,
Phillips, _Kirchenrecht_, vol. vi.; Hinschius, _System des kathol.
Kirchenrechts_, vol. i. p. 312. For the canonical aspect, Ferraris,
_Prompta bibliotheca_, s.v. "Cardinales"; Bouix, _De curia romana_
(Paris, 1859), pp. 5-141; Card. de Luca, _Relatio curiae romanae_,
disc. 5. For details of the ceremonies and costume, Grimaldi, _Les
Congregations romaines_ (Sienna, 1890), p. 99 et seq.; Barbier de
Montault, _Le Costume et les usages ecclesiastiques_ (Paris), s.d. For
a list of the names of the cardinals, according to their titles, see
De Mas-Latrie, _Tresor de chronologie_, col. 2219-2264; and in the
chronological order of their promotion, from St Leo IX. to Benedict
XIV., ibid. 1177-1242; also _Dictionnair