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The author reflects on the life of Archbishop Norman Thomas Gilroy, the first Australian-born cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, after the publication of his biography of Gilroy. Topics covered include contributions of Gilroy to the administration of the Catholic Church in Sydney, New South Wales, how Gilroy addressed church bureaucracy using his status as cardinal, background of writing the biography and Gilroy's public persona and style.

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The aim of this paper is to present the report on the journey of Cardinal Friedrich of Hessen-Darmstadt from Rome to Wrocław, undertaken in 1676 to assume governorship of Silesia and real power over the diocese of Wrocław. The report, published in this city soon after the completion of his journey, is now preserved in the Old Prints Department of the Wrocław University Library. This source contributes new facts from the biography of the cardinal -- the founder of the famous St. Elisabeth Chapel alongside the Cathedral of Wrocław, decorated with statues sculpted in Rome. During his journey to Silesia, Friedrich of Hessen-Darmstadt stayed with his retinue in Loreto, Verona and Trento, entertained everywhere with great pomp and ceremony. Then he went to Vienna, where he took part in imperial audiences and was granted the title "Durchlauchtigst". At the end of his journey he went to Nysa and from there to Wrocław. From the art history point of view this travelogue contributes information about the "occasional architecture" and the decoration of the churches in Nysa and Wrocław, liturgical vestments and vessels, and about costumes and vehicles of Silesian dignitaries. From the literature on the subject we know that on the occasion of the arrival of the cardinal to Wrocław three new doors to the local cathedral were founded. The main entrance doors were decorated with relief depicting Jacob's Dream and Joseph in a Well. In the light of the appropriate biblical quotations and commentaries on them these scenes illustrate the idea of the gate to the heavenly Jerusalem as well as the symbolical transition from the sphere of death to the realm of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses how the image of Cardinal Jules Mazarin is presented in the "Mémoires" of the Cardinal Jean-François Paul de Gondi de Retz. Topics mentioned include how the negative portrayal of Mazarin in Retz's memoirs would benefit the Retz's political allies in the struggles for power during the Fronde wars, the biographical parallels between the two men, and a comparison between Mazarin's alleged corrupt political intrigues and Machiavellian behavior and Retz's own strategic maneuvers.

The present study analizes the career of the German cardinal Melchior von Meckau (ca.1440–1509) in the light of a newly found funeral oration given by the Florentine humanist Raffaele Lippo Brandolini in the Roman church of S. Maria in Aracoeli on April 28th 1509. The oration sheds new light on the biography of Meckau and also on the building history of Renaissance Rome (Meckau’s palace stood at the point where today the Palazzo Madama is situated; at his death it was bought by cardinal Giovanni dei Medici), but furthermore it gives an insight into the use of national stereotypes in funeral oratory and into the ways in which Roman society in the Renaissance judged and liked to see successful careers like Meckau’s. Brandolinis oration is edited in the appendix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the personal collection of objects of 15th century Spanish cardinal Pedro González de Mendoza. The author comments on his service to Queen Isabella I of Castile and his inheritance of many rare objects, including currency, ornate cameos, and carved figurines. He provides a detailed list and description of these objects owned by the cardinal. A brief biography of González de Mendoza's life and career is also presented, including his role in the Spanish monarchy and in the Catholic Church.