Cardinals are chosen by the Holy Father to serve as his
principal assistants and advisers in the central administration
of church affairs. Collectively, they form the College of
Cardinals. Provisions regarding their selection, rank, roles,
and prerogatives are detailed in Canons 349 to 359 of the Code
of Canon Law of the Catholic Church. Following that of the Pope,
the title of cardinal is the highest dignity in the Catholic
Church which was recognized as early as the pontificate of
Sylvester I (314-335). Rooted in the Latin word cardo, meaning
“hinge,” cardinals are created by a decree of the Roman Pontiff
and chosen to serve as his principal collaborators and
assistants. Cardinals are considered “princes of the Church” and
are addressed by the title of "Eminence." In early years,
"cardinal" was a title attributed generically to ecclesiastics
in the service of a church or diaconate, particularly to
ecclesiastics in The College of Cardinals was constituted in its
current form in 1150: it has a Dean, who is th