Wikipedia article of the day for July 7, 2026
The Wikipedia article of the day for July 7, 2026 is Cardinal-nephew . A cardinal-nephew is a cardinal elevated by a pope who is his relative. The practice of creating cardinal-nephews originated in the Middle Ages and reached its apex during the 16th and 17th centuries. It is central to the etymology of the word nepotism, which appeared in the English language circa 1670. A pope without a cardinal-nephew was the exception from the Avignon Papacy until Innocent XII banned the practice with his 1692 anti-nepotism papal bull Romanum decet Pontificem. From 1566 until 1692, a cardinal-nephew held the curial office of Superintendent of the Ecclesiastical State. The curial office as well as the institution of the cardinal-nephew declined as the power of the Cardinal Secretary of State increased and the temporal power of popes decreased in the 17th and 18th centuries. Notable cardinal-nephews include popes such as Julius II, as well as the saints Charles Borromeo and Guarinus of Palestrina....
