Summa de Ecclesia

Truly, if anyone considers what we recalled above concerning the state of perfection, namely that a perpetual obligation to the things that belong to perfection along with some solemnity places a man in the state of perfection, he will without doubt manifestly see that the lord Cardinals assisting the vicar of Christ the supreme pontiff in the rule and government of the universal Church are to be deemed as being in the state of perfection. For out of love of God they bind themselves perpetually to defend faithfully with all their strength the catholic faith and the Christian religion even to the shedding of blood inclusively, together with their prince and that of the whole Church, the vicar of Christ the supreme pontiff: in evident testimony of which thing they are publicly and solemnly invested by the supreme pontiff himself with the red cap, as the habit or seal of their profession, with the aforesaid certain oaths, chiefly concerning faithful assistance in the rule of the universal Church to the vicar of Christ himself. The lord Cardinals are therefore to be said to be in the state of perfection, and so much the more sublimely above the other prelates as the good of the universal Church, to whose rule and ordering they are assumed, and for whose protection they bind themselves to lay down their lives, is more perfect, and consequently more divine, than the particular good of the flocks to whose rule the other prelates bind themselves to attend. Hence what that aged Anna, the mother of Samuel, foretold in the canticle which she composed on the occasion of offspring received, 1 Kings 2, when she says: The lordships are the hinges of the earth, and he hath set the world upon them, may most fittingly be taken of the lord Cardinals. In which words the state of the lord Cardinals is described threefold. First as to the nobility of institution, where when it is said, for they are lordships. Second as to the dignity of office, where when it is said, they are called the hinges of the earth. Third as to universal authority, where when it is said, and he hath set the world upon them. For in the first place the nobility of the institution of the state of the lord Cardinals is described when it is said, they are lordships, and by institution. For the state of the Cardinals was instituted originally and primordially by Christ alone. For the declaration of which it is first to be repeated what we noted above. That Christ adorned his spouse, namely the Church, with various states, offices, and grades as with shining necklaces, and distinguished them in wondrous order, according to that of the apostle to the Ephesians 1: But to every one of us grace is given according to the measure of the giving of Christ; wherefore ascending on high, he gave gifts to men, and he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors, for the perfecting of the saints in the work of the ministry unto the edifying of the body of Christ. From which apostolic testimony it is openly gathered that this variety of states, offices, and grades by which the hierarchical Church is distinguished is not principally from human disposition, but from Christ himself, the head, founder, and ordainer of the Church, and consequently that the state of the lord Cardinals after the Papal state pertains to the hierarchical order of the Church by divine institution, since they themselves as to this state immediately succeed the apostolic state. For which it is to be considered, according to the doctrine of certain wise men, that of the apostles a threefold consideration can be had. The first indeed, as principally conversing with Christ before his ascension, to whom he said: You are they who have continued with me in my temptations, and I dispose to you as my Father hath disposed to me a kingdom for the Church militant, that you may sit upon thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel, Luke 22. The second consideration of the apostles is according as, before their division from one another and separation from the presence of Peter, they assisted Peter as bearing the place of Christ in the administration of the Papal office. The third consideration of the apostles is when, at the precept of Christ which was said to them: Going into the whole world preach the gospel to every creature, separated from Peter and supported by his authority, they were dispersed through the world, taking up the individual provinces for the lot of preaching. As to the first and second consideration of the apostles, the state of the lord Cardinals represents the state of the apostles in this, that they assist the Roman pontiff, who is the vicar of Christ and the successor of Peter, as principal assessors, counsellors and co-workers, and coadjutors in the execution of the priestly office, according to the words of Pope Boniface VIII in ch. fundamenta, book vi. But as to the second consideration of the apostles, of whom that can manifestly be understood, Apocalypse 4: A throne was set, namely the apostolic, in heaven, that is in the militant Church, and upon the throne one sitting, that is the Roman pontiff, and round about him twenty-four seats, and upon the thrones twenty-four elders, that is cardinals, sitting, clothed in white garments, and on their heads golden crowns. Where the lord Cardinals are described not only as to the dignity of office, because they are said to sit in the circuit of the apostolic throne, as his counsellors and supreme coadjutors of the pontificate, but also what their dignity requires in them is described: for the Cardinals ought to have maturity of discretion in this, that they are called elders. Second, tranquillity of mind in this, that they are described as sitting. Third, purity of life in this, that they are designated as clothed in white garments. Fourth, brightness of wisdom when they are said to have golden crowns. But as to the third consideration of the apostles, the bishops succeed the apostles, representing their states, of whom each was set over some city or province, as blessed Anacletus says in ch. in novo testamento, dist. xxi, and blessed Pope Urban in ch. quorum vices, dist. LXVIII; which also the Apostle seems notably to distinguish in the place above, where distinguishing the states of the Church, he seems to distinguish more distinctly the pastoral state from the apostolic state, when he says: He gave some apostles; there follows, and some pastors. From which some corollaries can rightly be drawn.

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The first is that the apostles were Cardinals before they were bishops, or also exercised the office of the cardinalate before the episcopal. And this because the apostles were first in the apostolic state instituted by Christ than in the pastoral state, because before the passion all were apostles, but after the passion Peter was instituted by Christ pastor of all, when it was said to him: Feed my sheep, John last; and then the pastoral state was ordained in the new testament, which the apostolic state had been before.

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The second corollary, that the apostles were Cardinals of the world before of the city. For just as Peter was first pope of the world, that is of the universal Church, before bishop of the Roman Church by singular administration, so also the apostles were Cardinals before any were Cardinals of the Roman city. But in sign of this distinction in the investiture of the papacy it is said to the pope: I invest thee with the Roman papacy, that thou preside over the city and the world. But in either presidency, both of the city and of the world, the Cardinals assist the Pope as his spiritual coadjutors, on account of which they were deemed to be as senators, consuls, and patricians of the city, as in ch. Constantinus, dist. 96.

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The third corollary is that the Pope also fittingly numbers himself among the Cardinals, as the Archdeacon says in ch. Sacrosancta, dist. 22. And for this reason the apostolic state in which the Cardinals are is distinguished from the pastoral state; for although all the apostles were pastors, nevertheless, as was said, they were first in the apostolic state. Hence the supreme pontiff is called not only bishop of the universal Church but is also named apostolic. Peter therefore and his successors retain both states, namely the apostolic and the pastoral, but the Cardinals as such only the apostolic.

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The fourth corollary is that in the hierarchical order, just as the order of bishops succeeds the company of the apostles inasmuch as they were bishops, so the sacred senate of the Cardinals succeeds them as to that state in which the apostles assisted Peter before they were divided through the world, as was said. And let this have been said concerning the institution of the state of the lord Cardinals, which was noted in the first word of blessed Anna when it was said, They are lordships. Second, the state of the Cardinals is described as to the dignity of office when it is said, The hinges of the earth. But they are so named for manifold reason. First indeed they are called Cardinals because they serve the Roman Church alone, which, as Anacletus says in ch. Sacrosancta, di. 22, is the head and hinge of all churches. Second because just as the door is ruled by the hinge, whence it is said in Proverbs 26: The door turneth upon its hinges, so by the counsel and assent of the lord Cardinals the supreme pontiff rules, disposes, and governs the universal Church. Third they are called Cardinals, that is principals, 7, q. 1, pastorales, and 21, q. 1, relatio, the Gloss 1. For they themselves are the principals in the Church by whose counsel and rule the whole Church is universally disposed and governed. Third the state of the Cardinals is described as to the universality of authority when it is added, And he hath set the world upon them. For the authority of the lord Cardinals regards not only one diocese or province, but the whole world, according to the word of blessed Gregory in ch. Decreto, 2, q. 6: Other prelates are assumed into a share of solicitude, but these into the assistance of the government of the whole world. Hence what the excellent prophet David, speaking to the holy Church, says in Psalm 44, For thy brethren, that is the apostles, sons are born to thee, that is the Cardinals, thou shalt make them princes over all the earth, comes most fittingly to be taken of them. Then plainly are they constituted princes over all the earth when by the supreme pontiff, the vicar of Christ, they are assumed to assist him and cooperate in the rule of the whole Christian commonwealth. Wherefore the devout Bernard, in his book On Consideration, speaking of the Cardinals to Pope Eugene III, says thus: These also who continually assist thee, the elders of the people, judges of the world, etc. From the words of this holy man a great testimony of the amplitude of the dignity of the lord Cardinals is certainly gathered. From which the error of those detracting from the state of the lord Cardinals, who say that they are as accidental members in the Church, and as guests and strangers excelling in no authority, is most openly refuted.