Cardinal
A cardinal is a senior cleric – usually a bishop – in the Roman Catholic Church. Cardinals are collectively known as ‘the College of Cardinals’, and their duties are to act as counsellors to the Pope, elect a new Pope, and attend regular meetings of the College. Cardinals also have their own ecclesiastical duties, often related to the dioceses over which they preside. The territorial designation is not officially used when letters are addressed to the person and not to the province or diocese.
The recommended style of address is as follows:
| Beginning of letter |
Your Eminence or My Lord Cardinal (formal) or Dear Cardinal Rose (social) |
| End of letter |
I have the honour to be, My Lord Cardinal, Your Eminence’s devoted or obedient child (very formal) or I remain, Your Eminence, Yours faithfully (formal) or I have the honour to be Your eminence’s obedient servant (officially recognised) or Yours sincerely (social) |
| Envelope |
His Eminence The Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster (if an archbishop) or His Eminence Cardinal Rose (if not an archbishop) |
| Verbal address |
Verbal: Your Eminence (formal) or Cardinal (Smith) (social) Conversation: His Eminence (formal) or Cardinal Rose (social) |
