Cardinal vs. Bishop — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Maham Liaqat — Updated on March 25, 2024
Cardinals are high-ranking clergy in the Catholic Church, often advisors to the Pope and eligible to elect a new Pope, while Bishops oversee dioceses, focusing on spiritual leadership and administration at a more local level.
Difference Between Cardinal and Bishop
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Cardinals, appointed by the Pope, hold significant influence within the Catholic Church, serving as senior church officials and often being involved in governing the Vatican City. Bishops, on the other hand, are responsible for the spiritual and administrative oversight of their dioceses, guiding priests and deacons.
While all Cardinals are bishops (with rare exceptions), not all bishops are Cardinals. The elevation to Cardinal is seen as an honor and a sign of closer ties to the Vatican, emphasizing a Cardinal's broader responsibilities, including the potential to participate in a Papal conclave.
Cardinals wear distinctive red attire, symbolizing their willingness to defend the faith unto bloodshed, whereas bishops wear purple, reflecting their jurisdictional authority and role within the Church.
The title of Cardinal includes various ranks (Cardinal Deacon, Cardinal Priest, and Cardinal Bishop), reflecting their duties and seniority within the College of Cardinals. Bishops, while they may have different titles (such as Archbishop or Patriarch), primarily focus on their diocesan responsibilities.
Comparison Chart
Role
Advisors to the Pope, elect new Pope
Spiritual and administrative leaders of dioceses
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Appointment
Appointed by the Pope
Appointed by the Pope
Responsibilities
Governing the Church, potential Papal electors
Overseeing a diocese, guiding priests and deacons
Attire
Red to signify willingness to defend faith
Purple to reflect jurisdictional authority
Ranks
Cardinal Deacon, Cardinal Priest, Cardinal Bishop
Archbishop, Bishop, Patriarch (varies by region)
Compare with Definitions
Cardinal
A senior ecclesiastical leader in the Catholic Church, advisor to the Pope.
The Cardinal was called to Rome for an important Vatican council.
Bishop
Oversees the administration of a diocese within the Catholic Church.
The Bishop visited every parish in his diocese annually.
Cardinal
Eligible to participate in the election of a new Pope.
As a Cardinal, he will be part of the next Papal conclave.
Bishop
Wears purple attire, denoting their authority and role.
Dressed in purple, the Bishop presided over the celebration.
Cardinal
Represents the Pope in various capacities.
The Cardinal represented the Vatican at the international peace conference.
Bishop
Can hold titles such as Archbishop or Patriarch, depending on their jurisdiction.
The Archbishop led the regional synod of bishops.
Cardinal
Wears red attire, symbolizing their commitment.
The Cardinals gathered, recognizable in their red robes.
Bishop
Responsible for ordaining priests and deacons.
The new priests were ordained by the Bishop in a solemn ceremony.
Cardinal
Holds a title indicating a close tie to the Church's central administration.
He was elevated to Cardinal, reflecting his dedication to the Church.
Bishop
Acts as a spiritual leader and shepherd to their community.
The Bishop's guidance was sought by many during the crisis.
Cardinal
Of foremost importance; paramount
A cardinal rule.
Cardinal sins.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or appointed member in a religious institution, who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. The title is most often used in Christian churches, but is also used in some Japanese Buddhist institutions, and by the Japanese new religion Tenrikyo.
Cardinal
Dark to deep or vivid red.
Bishop
A high-ranking Christian cleric, in modern churches usually in charge of a diocese and in some churches regarded as having received the highest ordination in unbroken succession from the apostles.
Cardinal
Abbr. Card. Roman Catholic Church A high church official, ranking just below the pope, who has been appointed by a pope to membership in the College of Cardinals.
Bishop
Abbr. B(Games) A usually miter-shaped chess piece that can move diagonally across any number of unoccupied spaces.
Cardinal
A dark to deep or vivid red.
Bishop
Mulled port spiced with oranges, sugar, and cloves.
Cardinal
A North American bird (Cardinalis cardinalis) having a crested head, a short thick bill, and bright red plumage in the male.
Bishop
(Christianity) An overseer of congregations: either any such overseer, generally speaking, or (in Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Anglicanism, etc.) an official in the church hierarchy (actively or nominally) governing a diocese, supervising the church's priests, deacons, and property in its territory.
Cardinal
A short hooded cloak, originally of scarlet cloth, worn by women in the 1700s.
Bishop
A similar official or chief priest in another religion.
Cardinal
A cardinal number.
Bishop
(obsolete) The holder of the Greek or Roman position of episcopus, supervisor over the public dole of grain, etc.
Cardinal
Of fundamental importance; crucial, pivotal.
A cardinal rule
Bishop
(obsolete) Any watchman, inspector, or overlooker.
Cardinal
(nautical) Of or relating to the cardinal directions (north, south, east and west).
A cardinal mark
Bishop
A chief of the Festival of Fools or St. Nicholas Day.
Cardinal
Describing a "natural" number used to indicate quantity (e.g., zero, one, two, three), as opposed to an ordinal number indicating relative position.
Bishop
(chess) The chess piece denoted ♗ or ♝ which moves along diagonal lines and developed from the shatranj alfil ("elephant") and was originally known as the aufil or archer in English.
Cardinal
Having a bright red color (from the color of a Catholic cardinal's cassock).
Bishop
Any of various African birds of the genus Euplectes; a kind of weaverbird closely related to the widowbirds.
Cardinal
(Roman Catholic) One of the officials appointed by the pope in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking only below the pope and the patriarchs, constituting the special college which elects the pope. (See Wikipedia article on Catholic cardinals.)
Bishop
(dialectal) A ladybug or ladybird, beetles of the family Coccinellidae.
Cardinal
Any of a genus of songbirds of the finch family, Cardinalis.
Bishop
A flowering plant of the genus Bifora.
Cardinal
Any of various related passerine birds of the family Cardinalidae (See Wikipedia article on cardinals) and other similar birds that were once considered to be related.
Bishop
A sweet drink made from wine, usually with oranges, lemons, and sugar; mulled and spiced port.
Cardinal
(color) A deep red color, somewhat less vivid than scarlet, the traditional colour of a Catholic cardinal's cassock. cardinal red}}
Bishop
A bustle.
Cardinal
(math) dot=, a number indicating quantity, or the size of a set (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3). Cardinal_number.}}
Bishop
A children's smock or pinafore.
Cardinal
(grammar) dot=, a word used to represent a cardinal number.
Bishop
(Christianity) To act as a bishop, to perform the duties of a bishop, especially to confirm another's membership in the church.
Cardinal
(Lobelia cardinalis), a flowering plant.
Bishop
To confirm (in its other senses).
Cardinal
(Paracheirodon axelrodi), a freshwater fish.
Bishop
(Christianity) To make a bishop.
Cardinal
A woman's short cloak with a hood, originally made of scarlet cloth.
Bishop
To provide with bishops.
Cardinal
(obsolete) Mulled red wine.
Bishop
To permit food (especially milk) to burn while cooking (from bishops' role in the inquisition or as mentioned in the quotation below, of horses).
Cardinal
Of fundamental importance; preëminent; superior; chief; principal.
The cardinal intersections of the zodiac.
Impudence is now a cardinal virtue.
But cardinal sins, and hollow hearts, I fear ye.
Bishop
To make a horse seem younger, particularly by manipulation of its teeth.
Cardinal
One of the ecclesiastical princes who constitute the pope's council, or the sacred college.
The clerics of the supreme Chair are called Cardinals, as undoubtedly adhering more nearly to the hinge by which all things are moved.
Bishop
To murder by drowning.
Cardinal
A woman's short cloak with a hood.
Where's your cardinal! Make haste.
Bishop
A spiritual overseer, superintendent, or director.
Ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
It is a fact now generally recognized by theologians of all shades of opinion, that in the language of the New Testament the same officer in the church is called indifferently "bishop" ( ) and "elder" or "presbyter."
Cardinal
Mulled red wine.
Bishop
In the Roman Catholic, Greek, and Anglican or Protestant Episcopal churches, one ordained to the highest order of the ministry, superior to the priesthood, and generally claiming to be a successor of the Apostles. The bishop is usually the spiritual head or ruler of a diocese, bishopric, or see.
Cardinal
The cardinal bird, also called the northern cardinal.
Bishop
In the Methodist Episcopal and some other churches, one of the highest church officers or superintendents.
Cardinal
(Roman Catholic Church) one of a group of more than 100 prominent bishops in the Sacred College who advise the Pope and elect new Popes
Bishop
A piece used in the game of chess, bearing a representation of a bishop's miter; - formerly called archer.
Cardinal
The number of elements in a mathematical set; denotes a quantity but not the order
Bishop
A beverage, being a mixture of wine, oranges or lemons, and sugar.
Cardinal
A variable color averaging a vivid red
Bishop
An old name for a woman's bustle.
If, by her bishop, or her "grace" alone,A genuine lady, or a church, is known.
Cardinal
Crested thick-billed North American finch having bright red plumage in the male
Bishop
To admit into the church by confirmation; to confirm; hence, to receive formally to favor.
Cardinal
Serving as an essential component;
A cardinal rule
The central cause of the problem
An example that was fundamental to the argument
Computers are fundamental to modern industrial structure
Bishop
To make seem younger, by operating on the teeth; as, to bishop an old horse or his teeth.
Cardinal
Being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order;
Cardinal numbers
Bishop
A clergyman having spiritual and administrative authority; appointed in Christian churches to oversee priests or ministers; considered in some churches to be successors of the twelve apostles of Christ
Bishop
Port wine mulled with oranges and cloves
Bishop
(chess) a piece that can be moved diagonally over unoccupied squares of the same color
Common Curiosities
Do Cardinals have more power than Bishops?
Cardinals often have broader responsibilities, especially in relation to the Vatican and the global church, but "power" can vary based on the context of their roles.
How is a Bishop chosen?
Bishops are appointed by the Pope, often from among priests with significant pastoral experience and theological education.
Can a Bishop become a Cardinal?
Yes, bishops are often elevated to Cardinals as recognition of their service and to involve them more directly in the governance of the Catholic Church globally.
Is there a limit to the number of Cardinals?
While there is no strict limit to the number of Cardinals, the number of Cardinal electors (those under 80 years old eligible to vote for a new Pope) is traditionally set at 120.
Can a woman become a Cardinal or Bishop in the Catholic Church?
As of the last update, the Catholic Church ordains only men as priests or bishops, and consequently, Cardinals are also male.
What distinguishes an Archbishop from a Bishop?
An Archbishop typically oversees an archdiocese, which is a larger or more significant diocese, and may have other bishops under their jurisdiction. The title reflects higher administrative responsibility.
How often are new Cardinals appointed?
New Cardinals are appointed at the discretion of the Pope, often in a consistory that can occur when there are vacancies within the College of Cardinals or as deemed necessary.
What are the duties of a Cardinal in a Papal conclave?
In a Papal conclave, Cardinals are responsible for electing a new Pope, a process conducted in secrecy within the Vatican.
What is the significance of the ring a Bishop wears?
The ring a Bishop wears symbolizes their marriage to the Church; it is a sign of their fidelity and commitment to their diocese.
How do Cardinals and Bishops interact in the Church hierarchy?
Cardinals, in their role as senior ecclesiastical leaders, often work closely with Bishops, providing guidance and support, especially in matters that affect the global Church.
Can a Cardinal be removed from their position?
Yes, a Cardinal can be removed from their position by the Pope, though such actions are rare and would usually be due to serious misconduct or other significant reasons.
How does one address a Cardinal and a Bishop?
A Cardinal is typically addressed as "Your Eminence," while a Bishop is addressed as "Your Excellency" or "Bishop [Last Name]."
Are there any Cardinals who are not bishops?
Historically, there have been Cardinals who were not bishops, but recent norms require that Cardinals be ordained bishops, with few exceptions granted by the Pope.
What role does a Cardinal play in their home diocese?
In addition to their duties as a Cardinal, they often continue to serve in a leadership role within their home diocese or in the Roman Curia, influencing both local and global Church matters.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
