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Until the late Middle Ages, a cardinal could be any prominent priests of an important church. Over time, the term came to be applied to a certain group of bishops who assistanted the pope in his liturgical functions, in the care of the poor, the administration of papal finances and possessions, and the synodal disposition of important matters. After the decree of Nicholas II in 1059, cardinals became of great importance in regulating papal elections, electing popes, and administering the Apostolic See during vacancies in the papacy. Such functions passed to the cardinals exclusively after the Decretal of Alexander III at the third Lateran Council in 1179. Gradually the cardinals organized into a college and took on greater roles in the administration of the Catholic Church and came to outrank bishops and then archbishops.
This category may be assigned to profiles of priests who were given the title of cardinal or appointed to the College of Cardinals.