Catholic Dictionary

Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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RED HAT

The hat conferrd on a cardinal. It is flat-crowned and broad-brimmed, with two clusters of fifteen tassels. A cardinal is invested with this sumbolic hat in the first public consistory after the appointment has been announced, and it is not worn agains. After the cardinal's death, the hat is suspended over his tomb or from the cathedral ceiling. The "red hat" is a common term for the cardinal's office.