In the Catholic Church , a titular church Italian : titolo cardinalizio is a church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the clergy who is created a cardinal. These are Catholic churches in the city, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rome , that serve as honorary designations symbolising the relationship of cardinals to the pope , the bishop of Rome.
There are two ranks of titular churches: titles and deaconries. A title Latin : titulus is a titular church that is assigned to a cardinal priest a member of the second order of the College of Cardinals , whereas a deaconry Latin: diaconia is normally assigned to a cardinal deacon a member of the third order of the college.
Patriarchs of Eastern Catholic Churches who are created cardinal bishops are not assigned titles of suburbicarian dioceses. A cardinal may request that he be transferred to another titular church in a consistory ; in addition, when a cardinal deacon opts to become a cardinal priest usually after ten years , he may request either that his deaconry be elevated pro hac vice 'for this occasion' to a title or that he be transferred from his deaconry to a vacant title.
Occasionally, a titular church may be held in commendam 'in trust' by a cardinal who has been transferred to a different titular church or to a suburbicarian diocese. Before the legalization of Christianity in Rome the tituli were private buildings used as Christian churches βalso called domus ecclesiae or "house churches"βand each took the name of the owner of the building, either a wealthy donor, or a priest appointed by the Church authorities to run it.
The most ancient reference to such a Roman church is in the Apology against the Arians of Athanasius [ 5 ] in the fourth century, which speaks of a council of bishops assembled "in the place where the Priest Vitus held his congregation". By the end of the 5th century such churches numbered 25, as is confirmed by the Liber Pontificalis. The same number, though with different identities, is given in the reports of councils held in Rome in and In , however, the number is given as Some of the latter have been demolished by natural events, war or urban development.
