cardinals

Cultural  

1. A group of prominent bishops of the Roman Catholic Church who advise the pope and elect new popes.

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Example Sentences

Leo, 70, will on Friday mark one year as leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, after being elected by cardinals on May 8, 2025, following the death of Pope Francis.

From Barron's • May 3, 2026

Still, the election of an American pope was a surprise, since many prelates—including Prevost himself—believed that the college of cardinals wouldn’t hand the papacy to the U.S., on top of all the superpower’s other clout.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

“We now have quite a few bishops and cardinals coming out and being present, which is very important. As far as our archdiocese is concerned — not so much.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026

It was for similar reasons that cardinals of different persuasions were thought to have coalesced around him at conclave.

From BBC • Nov. 26, 2025

But this night he felt ill at ease, a choirboy among cardinals.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson