Roman Catholic cardinals are still addressed as Medieval nobility. If, say, a certain Stephen Brown is a Cardinal, he would be referred to as "Stephen Cardinal Brown." Cardinals have always been considered the equivalent of princes, which is why you hear of them still referred to as "Princes of the Church." One of the few functioning European monarchies, Britain has retained many of the Medieval naming customs. For example, Charles, the Prince of Wales, is commonly referred to by his friends as "Wales," not "Charlie." In fact, never "Charlie" and rarely "Charles."