not a very significant one; it may or may not be a reward of merit. Any wealthy priest of good family may receive it as a mere compliment. I know one monsignore who received his purple through a monastic order to whom he had given a few thousand pounds, and another (a very worthy man, but painfully commonplace) who got it for his attentions to a distinguished visitor from Rome.
Even canons, as a rule, are very feeble and harmless conspirators; they are generally old men, who are more conspicuous for quantity than quality of service, but have usually sufficient discretion left to know that they are not expected to aspire any higher. In matters of ordinary administration their long experience is often useful to the bishop, with whom they form the chapter of the diocese, but otherwise they have not a very grave responsibility. The same may be said of the titular bishops or those whose titles are in partibus infidelium, what are called ‘suffragans’[1] in the Anglican hierarchy. The cardinal (and any important bishop) has a number of advisers quite outside his chapter, experts in canon law, professors of theology, &c., who are generally mutually hostile and contradictory, and from their opinions he finally deduces a course of action.
And there is little excitement or intrigue over the
- ↑ The word has a different meaning amongst Catholics; a suffragan is any bishop under an archbishop. All the bishops of England are suffragani to the Cardinal-Archbishop.
