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America's youngest archbishop is His Grace the Archbishop of Baltimore, Michael J. Curley, successor to the post made famous by Cardinal Gibbons. There is little doubt that some day he will receive the red hat —highest gift which the Pope can make.
Besides the immense prestige which comes to a cardinal in his own country, there goes with a cardinalate the duty of participating in the election of a Pope. And it is the college of cardinals whose influence is strongest in the councils of the Church.
A cardinal is not necessarily an active bishop. The humblest priest may be given the red hat—e. g. Cardinal Newman. But generally the college is made up from the leading archbishops. Known to the Anglo-Saxon world today are Cardinal-Archbishop Mercier of Belgium, Cardinal-Archbishop Bourne of Westminster, England. Cardinal-Archbishop Logue of Ireland, Cardinal-Archbishop Begin of Quebec, Cardinal-Archbishop Dubois of Paris and Cardinals Merry del Val (Spanish) and Vanutelli and Gaspari (Italian), the last three associated with the Vatican, and Cardinal Bonzono, formerly Apostolic Delegate to Washington, D. C.
When King Alfonso visited the Pope he boldly requested that there should be at least one new cardinal for Latin-American countries. It is reported that the Pope may accede to this request and leave out the U. S. in his next selection.