At the end of a two-day meeting with cardinals from around the world this week that involved listening and dialogue about the Church’s mission in the modern age, Pope Leo gave a historic announcement: He plans to hold such meetings annually, according to Vatican News.
From Jan. 7-8, more than 100 cardinals gathered at the Vatican for the extraordinary consistory, which is a meeting involving cardinals from around the world, as CatholicVote previously reported. Ordinary consistories are typically convened with cardinals who reside in Rome.
Pope Leo’s decision to hold an extraordinary consistory for his first gathering indicates “a desire for wider participation by the College of Cardinals,” CatholicVote noted.
The next extraordinary consistory is set for this June. According to Vatican News, Pope Leo said in his announcement about holding Consistories annually that he would also like the future Consistories to be longer than this first one, hoping they last three to four days long instead.
This announcement marks a historic moment in the Church: This is the first pontificate since the Second Vatican Council that a Pope has committed to holding an Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals annually. Saint Pope John Paul convened six extraordinary consistories in his pontificate; Pope Benedict XVI convened five ordinary consistories; and Pope Francis convened three extraordinary consistories.
CatholicVote previously reported that this first consistory is broadly viewed “as an opportunity to strengthen channels of dialogue between the Pope and the College of Cardinals,” with many wondering whether this meeting will be mainly a symbolic coming together or more robustly “as a forum for substantive exchange and consultation.”
It appears the meeting turned out to be the latter. At several points in the first day, Pope Leo emphasized his desire for dialogue and intent to listen to the cardinals’ input. Cardinal Stephen Brislin, archbishop of Johannesburg in South Africa, said after the consistory that the Pope “listened more than he spoke,” and that the Pontiff took notes, provided enriching input, and “was very attentive,” Vatican News reported.
On the first day of the meeting, a majority of the cardinals voted to focus on synodality and the Church’s evangelizing mission as main themes of discussion, sidelining the other two possible topics – liturgy and the work of the Holy See – due to time constraints. Vatican News reported that a “clear majority” of about 170 cardinals voted for these topics among the four options.
Pope Leo said Jan. 7 that the meeting would only have time for two topics but later noted that the other two themes “are not lost.”
Pope Leo gave a formal opening address to the cardinals Jan. 7, in which he emphasized the importance of unity and charity among the cardinals, stressing that it is important for the Church’s evangelizing mission. According to the Holy See Press Office, the Pope gave off-the-cuff remarks to the cardinals at the end of the first session Jan. 7.
He thanked the cardinals for being there, saying that the consistory “is important, even if it is a very short time, but it is a very important time for me too, because I feel, I experience the need to be able to count on you: it is you who called this servant to this mission! So, I would like to say, I think it is important that we work together, that we discern together, that we seek what the Spirit asks of us.”
He noted how, in the homily for the feast of the Epiphany Jan. 6, he had challenged the faithful to ask themselves if there is life in the Church.
“I am convinced that there is, certainly,” Pope Leo said in the Jan. 7 remarks. “These months, if I hadn’t experienced it before, I certainly have had many beautiful experiences of the life of the Church.”
He encouraged the cardinals to not assume that the work is all finished and that complacency is acceptable; rather, “there truly is a path” and work that God is calling them to walk together, trusting in Him.
He thanked them for the choices of themes, noting that it was “a large majority,” adding that “from the other comments made, that one theme cannot be separated from another.”
“In fact, there is much that we can see together. But we want to be a Church that does not only look at itself, that is missionary, that looks beyond, to others,” he continued. “The reason for the Church’s existence is not for the cardinals, nor for the bishops, nor for the clergy. The reason for its existence is to proclaim the Gospel.”
He noted that the theme of synodality is “as an expression of seeking how to be a missionary Church in today’s world,” and the theme of proclaiming “the Gospel with Christ at the center” is their mission.
Choosing these two themes will be helpful for keeping the work organized in the two Jan. 8 sessions, he noted, adding again that he has not forgotten the other themes.
“There are very concrete, specific issues that we still need to address,” he said. “I hope that each of you feels truly free to communicate with me or with others, and we will continue this process of dialogue and discernment.”
Pope Leo celebrated Mass the morning of Jan. 8 with the cardinals in St. Peter’s Basilica. In his homily, he focused on the nature of the consistory and the work they are called to, noting it is a pause in the daily ongoings of cardinals’ work.
“Our ‘pausing,’ then, is first and foremost a profound act of love for God, for the Church and for the men and women of the whole world,” Pope Leo said. “Through this, we allow ourselves to be formed by the Spirit: primarily in prayer and silence, but also by facing one another and listening to one another.”
He noted that their task may feel daunting and that they may feel inadequate because the world is full of division, hunger, suffering, and existential struggles but emphasized that Christ provides what is necessary. He likened them to the disciples who were told to “go and see” how many loaves they have together to give the people something to eat (Mark 6:37-38).
“We may not always find immediate solutions to the problems we face, yet in every place and circumstance, we will be able to help one another — and in particular, to help the Pope — to find the ‘five loaves and two fish’ that providence never fails to provide wherever his children ask for help,” he said. “When we welcome these gifts, hand them over, receive and distribute them, they are enriched by God’s blessing and by the faith and love of all, ensuring that no one lacks what is necessary.”