IN PECTORE. - The reservatio i. p. is a special form of election to the cardinalitial dignity, different from the ordinary one, which consists in the creation and publication in Consistory of the name of the elect (can. 233).

The exception lies in the fact that the supreme pontiff announces in Consistory the creation of an ecclesiastic, constituted at least in the priestly dignity, as cardinal, without however publishing his name, which he keeps secret. The person thus elected enjoys no privilege or right until his name has been published; once publication has been made, the appointment as cardinal is considered to have taken place from the day of the reservatio i. p. (can. 233 § 2).

The first pope to create cardinals without publishing their names was Martin V.

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: J. P. Kirsch, Die reservatio i. p. bei der Cardinal-creation, in Archiv für kathol. Kirchenrecht, 81 (1901), p. 421 ff.; Wernz-Vidal, II, p. 548; S. Romani, Iust. iuris canon., I, Rome 1941, p. 214; I. Chelodi-P. Ciprotti, Ius canonicum de personis, Vicenza-Trento 1942, p. 252.

Vincenzo Fagiolo

@incollection{ec7_in_pectore, author = {Fagiolo, Vincenzo}, title = {In Pectore}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VII}, pages = {43}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1951}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/in-pectore} }

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