Assistant at the Pontifical Throne is an ecclesiastical title in the Roman Catholic Church. It signifies a prelate belonging to the papal chapel, who stands near the throne of the Pope at solemn functions.

All patriarchs and some bishops, specially appointed by the Pope, are made Assistants to the Pontifical Throne. They rank immediately below the College of Cardinals, and are also Counts of the Apostolic Palace.

The title has not been in use since the Second Vatican Council, especially since Pope Paul VI reformed the pontifical household and removed all previous nobiliary titles.

[edit] External links

• New Catholic Dictionary
•  "Assistant at the Pontifical Throne". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Assistant_at_the_Pontifical_Throne. 

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.