List of excommunicated cardinals


Only a few dozen cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church have been excommunicated. A cardinal is a Roman Catholic priest, deacon, or bishop entitled to vote in a papal election. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals. Excommunication—literally, the denial of communion—means that a person is barred from participating in the Sacraments or holding ecclesiastical office. Ne Romani, promulgated by Pope Clement V during the Council of Vienne, extended suffrage in papal election to excommunicated cardinals in an attempt to limit schisms.
This list includes only cardinals who have been explicitly excommunicated by a pope or ecumenical council, rather than those who may have been excommunicated latae sententiae. For example, several precepts of papal election law prescribed automatic excommunication, such as Licet de vitanda of the Lateran Council which prohibited election by one-third, and Pope Pius X's Commissum Nobis, which made the exercise of the jus exclusivae by any cardinal punishable by excommunication. It also does not include excommunicated quasi-cardinals or clerics excommunicated before receiving the red hat.
Many excommunicated cardinals reconciled and had their offices restored. Some would later be elected pope; for example, Formosus and Sergius III.

9th century

CardinalElevating popeDate of elevationExcommunicating pope or councilDate of excommunicationReasonNotes
Rodoaldo, bishop of PortoLeo IV853Nicholas I864Simony
Anastasio il BibliotecarioLeo IV847Council of Rome
Council of Ravenna
Council of Rome		December 6, 860
May 29, 853
December 8, 853		Intrigue against the popeReconciled with Nicholas I and Adrian II
FormosoNicholas I861John VIII867Various chargesReconciled with Marinus I; future Pope Formosus; re-excommunicated posthumously by the Cadaver Synod
SergioStephen Vante 897John IX/Roman SynodApril 898Role in the Cadaver SynodLater reconciled; future Pope Sergius III
BenedettoFormosusante 896John IX/Roman SynodApril 898Role in the Cadaver Synod
MartinoFormosusante 896John IX/Roman SynodApril 898Role in the Cadaver Synod
GiovanniFormosusante 896John IX/Roman SynodApril 898Role in the Cadaver Synod
PasqualeFormosusante 896John IX/Roman SynodApril 898Role in the Cadaver Synod
GiovanniFormosusante 896John IX/Roman SynodApril 898Role in the Cadaver Synod
LeoneFormosusante 896John IX/Roman SynodApril 898Role in the Cadaver Synod

11th century

CardinalElevating popeDate of elevationExcommunicating pope or councilDate of excommunicationReasonNotes
Hugh of RemiremontLeo IX1049Gregory VII/Roman synod of LetranMarch 3, 1078SimonyJoined Antipope Clement III
Richard MilhauGregory VIIAnte May 7, 1078Victor III/Council of BeneventoAugust 1087Joined allegiance of Antipope Clement III

12th century

13th century

15th century

16th century

CardinalElevating popeDate of elevationExcommunicating pope or councilDate of excommunicationReasonNotes
Francisco de BorjaAlexander VISeptember 28, 1500Julius IIOctober 24, 1511Role in the Council of PisaCardinal-nephew; Died before his concillar colleagues reconciled
Federico di SanseverinoInnocent VIIIMarch 9, 1489Julius IIOctober 24, 1511Role in the Council of PisaReconciled with Leo X
Bernardino López de CarvajalAlexander VISeptember 20, 1493Julius IIOctober 24, 1511Role in the Council of PisaReconciled with Leo X
Guillaume BriçonnetAlexander VIJanuary 16, 1495Julius IIOctober 24, 1511Role in the Council of PisaReconciled with Leo X
René de PrieJulius IIDecember 18, 1506Julius IIOctober 24, 1511Role in the Council of PisaReconciled with Leo X

18th century