ROME — Cardinals from around the world gathered in Rome Jan. 7-8 for an extraordinary consistory called by Pope Leo XIV, an event seen as the first major step in his governance of the universal Church.
Before the consistory began on Jan. 7, the cardinals were tasked with re-reading Pope Francis’ 2013 apostolic exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium,” which focused on the mission of the Church. It reflects on the Church’s missionary transformation, on a crisis of communal commitment, on the proclamation of the Gospel and on the social dimension of evangelization.
In a press release, the Vatican said the consistory “is part of the life and mission of the Church, and aims to strengthen communion between the Bishop of Rome and the Cardinals, who are called to collaborate in a particular way in their concern for the good of the universal Church.”
The statement added that the meeting would be aimed “at fostering shared discernment and offering support and counsel to the Holy Father in the exercise of his high and weighty responsibility in governing the universal Church.”
Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm said that “for us cardinals, this will be a unique opportunity to meet Pope Leo during the early period of his pontificate and to hear what he wishes to prioritize and what he expects of us.”
Dominican Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe of England said in an interview with London’s The Telegraph on Jan. 6 that following the general congregation prior to the conclave, “many cardinals think that there should be at least one (consistory) a year.”
Pope Francis “formed a group with whom he met several times a year, part of a move towards a more radical form of consulting.” It is vital that the cardinals are happy, Cardinal Radcliffe added: “A Church which is miserable can’t preach the Gospel.”
The cardinals were reportedly to discuss synodality as a means of effective collaboration with the pope, with the liturgy as an important part of the meeting. As for the Church governance, “Praedicate Evangelium,” Pope Francis’ apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia and its service to the Church in the world, released in 2022, was to be considered.
“The reform of the Roman Curia demands attention to, and appreciation for, yet another aspect of the mystery of the Church,” the constitution said, adding that, “in her, mission and communion” are “closely united.”
Pope Francis stressed in the constitution that “this life of communion makes the Church synodal; a Church marked by reciprocal listening.”
With Pope Leo’s closing of the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica on Jan. 6, the Jubilee Year of Hope that had been opened by Pope Francis on Dec. 24, 2024, came to an end, symbolically closing the era of Francis for the universal Church and opening an era of Leo — of which the consistory is seen as the beginning.
The pope kicked off the new year of audiences with a new catechesis series on the Second Vatican Council and its documents, calling the Council’s teaching “the guiding star” of the Church’s journey.
While the Jubilee Year’s focus was on the mysteries of the life of Jesus, now reflecting on the Council brings “a valuable opportunity to rediscover the beauty and the importance of this ecclesial event.”
“I feel more than ever in duty bound to point to the Council as the great grace bestowed on the Church in the 20th century,” the pope said, giving a hint as to the spirit he was taking into the meeting with cardinals that same afternoon.
What is a consistory?
In the Catholic Church, there are two types of consistories: ordinary and extraordinary.
An ordinary consistory is largely ceremonial and attended by cardinals residing in Rome. It is commonly convoked when new cardinals are created or when candidates for sainthood are approved.
An extraordinary consistory requires the participation of all cardinals from around the world and, according to canon law, “is celebrated when particular needs of the Church or the treatment of more grave affairs suggest it.”
During his 12-year pontificate, Pope Francis held one extraordinary consistory on Feb. 20, 2014. It focused largely on family and marriage ahead of the Synod on the Family that year.
Pope Benedict XVI chose to hold three all-day consultative meetings with the cardinals on the eve of an ordinary consistory. St. John Paul II convoked six extraordinary consistories throughout his 26-year pontificate. Pope Francis also held a consultative meeting attached to an ordinary consistory in August 2022 to discuss the implementation of his apostolic constitution on the reform of the Roman Curia, “Praedicate Evangelium” (“Preach the Gospel”).
Meeting with the College of Cardinals on May 10, Pope Leo highlighted the importance of closer collaboration with the cardinals, which he said “many of you had asked for” during the general congregations ahead of the conclave.
“You, dear cardinals, are the closest collaborators of the pope. This has proved a great comfort to me in accepting a yoke clearly far beyond my own limited powers, as it would be for any of us. Your presence reminds me that the Lord, who has entrusted me with this mission, will not leave me alone in bearing its responsibility,” he said.
Cardinals assist the pope “through collegial action in consistories in which they are gathered by order of the Roman Pontiff who presides,” according to canon law.
While all cardinals were expected to attend the consistory starting Jan. 7, one notable absence was Venezuelan Cardinal Baltazar Porras, archbishop emeritus of Caracas, whose passport was confiscated by the Venezuelan government in December and who was barred from traveling abroad.
The incident highlighted tensions between the Catholic Church and the government of President Nicolás Maduro, who, along with his wife, was captured by the United States in a nighttime military operation on Jan. 3.
