Pope Leo XIV summons world’s cardinals for consultative two-day meeting
Two-day gathering signals early step in his agenda as the first American pope after the Holy Year
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV has summoned the world’s cardinals for a two-day meeting to help him govern the church, the Vatican said Saturday, signaling that the new year will mark the unofficial start of his pontificate.
The consistory will be held Jan. 7-8, immediately after the Jan. 6 conclusion of the 2025 Holy Year, a once-every-quarter-century celebration of Christianity. Leo’s first months as pope have been dominated by fulfilling the weekly Holy Year obligations of meeting with pilgrimage groups and celebrating special Jubilee audiences and Masses, and by wrapping up outstanding matters of Pope Francis' pontificate. As a result, the January consistory in many ways will mark the first time that Leo can look ahead to his own agenda following his May 8 election as the first American pope.
The Vatican said Saturday that Leo’s first consistory “will be oriented toward fostering common discernment and offering support and advice to the Holy Father in the exercise of his high and grave responsibility in the government of the universal Church.” Other types of consistories include the formal installation of new cardinals. But no new cardinals will be made at this meeting, which is purely consultative.
Francis largely eschewed the consistory tradition as a means of governance, instead relying on a small group of eight or nine hand-picked cardinal advisers to help him govern and make key decisions. The Vatican’s announcement on Saturday underscores Leo’s effort to engage the global episcopate as he charts his own path in the early months of his pontificate. Observers note that the gathering could set the tone for how he handles governance and major church issues in the coming years.