In pectore (Latin for "in the breast/heart") is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to refer to the power of the pope to name secret cardinals whose names are not revealed and whose identities are therefore known only to the pope and to God. Cardinals appointed in pectore do not need to be informed of their incardination, although such cases account for only a small fraction of such appointments. Such an appointee cannot function as a cardinal until he is published (i.e., revealed), but if he is published he is given seniority going back to the time of his appointment. The term Ecclesiastical Latin (sometimes called Church Latin) refers to the Latin language as used in documents of the Roman Catholic Church and in its Latin liturgies. ... The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church (see terminology below) is the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. It traces its origins and sees itself as the same Church founded by Jesus and maintained through Apostolic Succession from the Twelve Apostles. ... The current Pope is Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger), who was elected at the age of 78 on 19 April 2005. ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official in the Roman Catholic Church, a member of the College of Cardinals, ranking below the Pope and appointed by him during a consistory of the College. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ...

Popes may choose to keep cardinals' identities secret out of consideration for:

• The person's personal safety, when they live under regimes hostile to Catholicism, Christianity, or religion in general.
• The safety of the person's community, when it is feared that the public naming of a cardinal may lead to discrimination or hostility against Christians in general and/or Catholics in particular.

Among areas where in pectore cardinals are believed in the past to have been named are the People's Republic of China and, before the fall of the Soviet Union and collapse of the Iron Curtain, in central and eastern Europe. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... First Christians in Kiev by Vasily Perov; Christians worshipping secretly in fear of persecution Many Christians have experienced persecution from both non-Christians and from other Christians during the history of Christianity. ... // Although reform in the Soviet Union stalled between 1969 and 1982, a generational shift gave new momentum for reform. ... Countries to the east of the Iron Curtain are shaded red; those to the west of it — blue. ... Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. ... Regions of Europe as delineated by the United Nations (UN definition of Eastern Europe marked salmon):  Northern Europe  Western Europe  Eastern Europe  Southern Europe Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium...

In pectore cardinals are eligible to participate in papal conclaves only if they are publicly named by the pope before his death. If he does not reveal their names, their cardinalate ceases upon the appointing pontiff's death. Three popes, Benedict XIV, Gregory XVI and Pius IX, were originally created as cardinals in pectore but both were published quite soon afterwards The Sistine Chapel is the location of the conclave. ... Benedict XIV, born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini (Bologna, March 31, 1675 – May 3, 1758 in Rome), was Pope from 17 August 1740 to 3 May 1758. ... Pope Gregory XVI (September 18, 1765 – June 1, 1846), born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari, named Mauro as a member of the religious order of the Camaldolese, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1831 to 1846. ... Blessed Pope Pius IX (May 13, 1792 – February 7, 1878), born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from his election in June 16, 1846, until his death more than 31 years later in 1878, making him the longest-reigning Pope since the Apostle St. ...

History

Origins

In the early history of cardinals, all cardinals appointed were published as a matter of course. The first pope to appoint a cardinal in pectore was Pope Paul III, when he named Girolamo Aleandro in this fashion on December 22, 1536, presumably because Aleandro's life would have been in danger if he were named a cardinal. Cardinal Aleandro was published on March 13, 1538. Paul III named five other cardinals in pectore, but all of them were published relatively soon after being originally named. Pope Paul III (February 29, 1468 – November 10, 1549), born Alessandro Farnese, was Pope from 1534 to 1549. ... Girolamo Aleandro (Hieromymus Aleander) (13 February 1480 - 1 February 1542) was an Italian cardinal. ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events February 2 - Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina. ... March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... Events Treaty of Nagyvarad. ...

The first Pope to create a cardinal in pectore without later publishing his name was Pope Pius IV, on February 26, 1561. Historians have always speculated about who unpublished in pectore cardinals were, and it is generally believed that this first unpublished in pectore cardinal was Daniele Matteo Alvise Barbaro, whose appointment as a cardinal would have upset the English monarchy and caused hostilities unwanted by the pope. Pius IV, né Giovanni Angelo Medici (March 31, 1499 – December 9, 1565), pope from 1559 to 1565, was born of humble parentage in Milan, unrelated with the Medicis of Florence. ... February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... // Events The Edict of Orleans suspends the persecution of the Huguenots. ...

Although in pectore appointments were not uncommon in the 17th century, all such appointments were published soon after being made until 1699, when Pope Innocent XII reserved two cardinals that were never published. This trend continued until April 26, 1773, when Pope Clement XIV created as many as eleven cardinals in pectore but none were published. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Innocent XII, né Antonio Pignatelli (March 13, 1615 - September 27, 1700) pope from 1691 to 1700, was the successor of Alexander VIII. He came of a distinguished Naples family and was educated at the Jesuit college in Rome. ... April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). ... 1773 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Pope Clement XIV, born Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli (Sant Arcangelo di Romagna, 31 October 1705 – 22 September 1774 in Rome), was Pope from 1769 to 1774. ...

Late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

As anti-Catholic hostility among various governments became common, in pectore appointments became much more common during the late 18th and 19th centuries. Whereas before 1777 all unpublished in pectore appointments had occurred because the pope making them died soon after, on June 23 of that year Pope Pius VI created two cardinals in pectore and never revealed their names in the remaining 22 years of his papacy. He did the same seven years later for another cardinal. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pius VI, born Giovanni Angelo Braschi (December 27, 1717 – August 29, 1799), Pope from 1775 to 1799, was born at Cesena. ...

Pope Pius VII created eleven cardinals in pectore; despite the anti-Church hostitility of the French Revolution, all of them were eventually published, as were Pope Leo XII's three in pectore appointments. Pius VII, O.S.B., born Barnaba Nicolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti (August 14, 1740 – August 20, 1823), was Pope from March 14, 1800 to August 20, 1823. ... The French Revolution (1789–1799/1804) was a vital period in the history of French, and Europe as a whole. ... Pope Leo XII (August 22, 1760 – February 10, 1829), born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiore Girolamo Nicola della Genga, was Pope from 1823 to 1829. ...

The outbreak of major revolutions in Europe during the late 1820s, however, caused the proportion of in pectore appointments to all cardinal appointment to rise dramatically: Pope Pius VIII created thirteen cardinals, but only five of them were ever published, whilst Pope Gregory XVI created as many as twenty-eight cardinals out of a total of eighty in pectore (of which five were unpublished). World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... Pope Pius VIII (November 20, 1761 – December 1, 1830), born Francesco Saverio Castiglioni, was Pope from 1829 to 1830. ... Pope Gregory XVI (September 18, 1765 – June 1, 1846), born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari, named Mauro as a member of the religious order of the Camaldolese, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1831 to 1846. ...

After the Revolutions of 1848 subsided, in pectore appointments declined. Pius IX made only five such appointments out of 123 cardinals (all published within four years of creation) , whilst Pope Leo XIII named only seven cardinals out of 147 in pectore of whom all were subsequently revealed. The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations or the Year of Revolution, were a revolutionary wave which erupted in Sicily and then, further triggered by the revolutions of 1848 in France, soon spread to the rest of Europe and as far afield as... Pope Leo XIII (March 2, 1810 – July 20, 1903), born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, having succeeded Pope Pius IX (1846–78) on February 20, 1878 and reigning until his death in 1903. ...

Modern Papacy

The only in pectore appointment by Pope Pius X, António Mendes Bello, was due to the revolution in Portugal in 1910 and was revelaed shortly before Pius died. World War I similarly produced Benedict XV's only in pectore cardinal, Adolf Bertram, who was published after the war ended and became a vigorous opponent of Nazism. Pope Saint Pius X ( Latin: ) (June 2, 1835 — August 20, 1914), born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was Pope from 1903 to 1914, succeeding Pope Leo XIII (1878–1903). ... Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul... Benedict XV (Latin: ), born Giacomo della Chiesa (November 21, 1854 – January 22, 1922), reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from September 3, 1914 to January 22, 1922; he succeeded Pope Pius X (1903–14). ... Adolf Cardinal Bertram (born March 14, 1859 – died July 6, 1945) archbishop of Breslau and cardinal of the Roman-catholic church. ... National Socialism redirects here. ...

Pope Pius XI created only one cardinal in pectore, Federico Tedeschini (who was nuncio to Spain just before the Spanish Civil War) in 1933 (published 1935). Neither Pius XI or Pope Pius XII made any in pectore appointments in European countries affected by the possibility of Marxist revolutions and/or World War II Pope Pius XI (Latin: ) (May 31, 1857 – February 10, 1939), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, reigned as Pope from February 6, 1922 and sovereign of Vatican City from 1929 until his death on February 10, 1939. ... Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin Nuntius, meaning any envoy. ... Combatants Spanish Republic CNT-FAI UGT POUM Soviet Union International Brigades Spanish State Falangists Carlists Fascist Italy Nazi Germany Army Comrades Association Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan Negrín Francisco Franco Casualties Civilians killed/wounded = hundreds of thousands The Spanish Civil War, which lasted from July 17... Pope Pius XII (Latin: ), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (March 2, 1876 – October 9, 1958), reigned as the 260th pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, and sovereign of Vatican City State from March 2, 1939 until his death. ... Marxism refers to the philosophy and social theory based on Karl Marxs work on one hand, and to the political practice based on Marxist theory on the other hand (namely, parts of the First International during Marxs time, communist parties and later states). ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead...

With the threat of Communism lingering over Eastern Europe and other parts of the globe, Pope John XXIII made three in pectore appointments on March 28, 1960 and never published them, creating the only case of such an appointment expiring during the twentieth century. It is probable according to many sources that one was Cardinal Slipyj, (re-)created cardinal and published by Paul VI in 1965. Pope Paul VI made three in pectore appointments but eventually published all of them, including one (Iuliu Hossu) who had already died. Regions of Europe as delineated by the United Nations (UN definition of Eastern Europe marked salmon):  Northern Europe  Western Europe  Eastern Europe  Southern Europe Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium... Blessed Pope John XXIII (Latin: ), (Italian: Giovanni XXIII), born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (November 25, 1881 – June 3, 1963), was elected as the 261st Pope of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City on October 28, 1958. ... Iuliu Hossu (* January 30, 1885, MilaÅŸ, BistriÅ£a-Năsăud, † May 28, 1977, BucureÅŸti), Romanian Greek-Catholic bishop of the Cluj-Gherla Diocese and later cardinal and victim of the communist regime. ...

Pope John Paul I created no cardinals, whilst Pope John Paul II named four cardinals out of 232 in pectore, of whom all but one were subsequently revealed:

• Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei, Bishop of Shanghai, People's Republic of China - made cardinal 1979, revealed 1991, died 2000.
• Marian Jaworski, Archbishop of Lviv, Ukraine - made cardinal 1998, revealed 2001.
• Jānis Pujāts of Riga, Latvia - made cardinal 1998, revealed 2001.
• The fourth cardinal was created in 2003. John Paul II did not reveal this cardinal's identity prior to his death, or in the 15-page testament he wrote during his papacy and which was released after his death. Consequently, this cardinalate has expired. Some suspect that this "secret Cardinal" was Archbishop Stanisław Dziwisz, a close, longtime friend of John Paul II. However, he was made a cardinal at the March 24, 2006 consistory anyway, as has been announced by Benedict XVI on February 22, 2006. In February 2005, there was also a speculation that the in pectore cardinal was Joseph Werth, a German-born archbishop of Novosibirsk, Russia (See Moscow News article below).

Ignatius Pin-Mei Cardinal Kung (Simplified Chinese: 龚品梅; Traditional Chinese: 龔品梅; Hanyu Pinyin: Gōng Pǐnméi; Wade-Giles: Kung Pin-mei) (August 2, 1901–March 12, 2000) was the Roman Catholic bishop of Shanghai in China from 1950 until his death, spending 30 years in Chinese prisons for defying... Two bishops assist at the Exhumation of Saint Hubert, who was a bishop too, at the église Saint-Pierre in Liège. ... Shanghai (Chinese: ; pinyin:  ; Shanghainese: ), situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta in East China, is the largest city of the Peoples Republic of China and the eighth largest in the world. ... His Eminence Marian Cardinal Jaworski (Ukrainian : Марян Яворський, born 21 August 1926) is a Cardinal Priest and Archbishop of Lviv of the Latins in the Roman Catholic Church. ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. ... Motto: Semper fidelis Location Map of Ukraine with Lviv. ... Jānis Cardinal Pujāts (born 14 November 1930) is the Archbishop of Riga, Latvia. ... Map of Latvia Coordinates: Founded 1201 Mayor Aivars Aksenoks Area    - City 307. ... StanisÅ‚aw Dziwisz (born April 27, 1939 in Raba Wyżna), is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Krakow in Poland. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pope Benedict XVI (Latin: ; born April 16, 1927 as Joseph Alois Ratzinger in Marktl am Inn, Bavaria, Germany) is the 265th reigning pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 2005 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December - → Pope John Paul II is taken to a hospital suffering from a serious case of influenza. ... Official website: http://www. ...

Term usage

Other than its religious meaning and origin, nowadays in pectore is basically used to refer to either something kept hidden or unrevealed or an expected, but still not official, appointment to an office (especially in politics).

The Italian language version of the phrase – in petto – is also commonly used. Italian ( , or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 70 million people, primarily in Italy. ...

External links

• Disclosure of "mystery cardinal" awaited (Associated Press, 5 April 2005)
• John Paul II's testament fails to reveal secret cardinal, Vatican says (MSNBC, 6 April 2005)
• In Petto Catholic Encyclopedia article
• Will the Pope come from Russia? Moscow News article (in Russian).