Lay cardinal

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In the historical practice of the Catholic Church, a lay cardinal was a man whom the pope appointed to the College of Cardinals while still a layman. This appointment carried with it the obligation to be ordained to a clerical order,^[1] meaning that "lay cardinal" was not a permanent state, but a term in reference to a man who was appointed cardinal prior to taking on the clerical state corresponding to that appointment.^[2]

The current law of the Catholic Church is that a man must be first ordained at least a priest in order to be considered for appointment as a cardinal.^[3]