Pope Leo XIV has announced a shift towards more regular consultation with the Catholic ChurchS cardinals, signaling a commitment to collaborative leadership as the institution addresses pressing global challenges. The decision came following a three-day consistory in Vatican City-a meeting of 170 cardinals-where the Pope revealed plans for annual gatherings to build upon recent conclave discussions. These meetings, slated to occur each year and last three to four days, underscore the Church’s focus on strengthening its internal structure and fostering greater unity amongst its leadership.
Pope Francis has announced plans for annual meetings with cardinals, signaling a continued emphasis on collaborative decision-making within the Catholic Church. The announcement came at the conclusion of a three-day consistory in Vatican City, a gathering of 170 cardinals from around the world. This move comes as the Church navigates complex global challenges and seeks to strengthen its leadership structure.
Salvatore Cernuzio and Thulio Fonseca – Vatican City
The next consistory is scheduled for June, just before the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul, and will also last two days. Pope Francis revealed the plans during his closing remarks on Wednesday afternoon, explaining that the meetings will build upon discussions held before the recent conclave and will occur annually, lasting three to four days. The Pontiff had previously indicated that this consistory was a “prefiguration of our future path.” He also reaffirmed the Ecclesial Assembly planned for October 2028, initially announced in March.
Gratitude and Proximity
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Beyond the announcements, Pope Francis expressed his gratitude to those in attendance for their participation and support. He specifically thanked the elder cardinals for making the effort to attend, stating, “Your testimony is precious,” and extended his concern to cardinals around the world unable to be in Rome, adding, “We are with you and close to you.”
The Pope described the experience as a “synodality that is not merely technical,” highlighting a deep harmony and communion fostered by a methodology designed to encourage mutual understanding, given the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those present. He referenced the Second Vatican Council as the foundation for the Church’s path and renewal, and clarified that other proposed themes – liturgy and *Praedicate evangelium* – are strongly connected to the Council and should not be overlooked. The discussions also included consideration of the global situation, with participants noting that ongoing conflicts and violence make the Church’s response “all the more urgent.”
Focus on Venezuela
While the consistory’s primary focus was on synodality and mission as outlined in *Evangelii gaudium*, the situation in Venezuela was also a significant concern. Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio, Archbishop of Bogotá, Colombia, voiced these concerns during a press briefing alongside Cardinals Stephen Brislin, Archbishop of Johannesburg, South Africa, and Pablo David, Bishop of Kalookan, Philippines.
Cardinal Rueda recalled the Pope’s words during the Angelus on January 4, in which Pope Francis “expressed his deep concern for what is happening in Venezuela and pledged to encourage dialogue and the search for consensus, invoking peace, to build a peace that is both disarmed and disarming, seeking to unite peoples in respect for human rights and sovereignty.” “That message on Sunday set the tone for my reflections these days,” Rueda stated. While not the official topic of the consistory, he added that it was “inevitable” that members of the College of Cardinals would be “concerned about what is happening,” questioning the direction of events and how the Church can support the population. Venezuela, he said, is a topic “we carry in our hearts, saddens us all, and we desire the best possible developments in the near future.”
Companions on the Journey
The three cardinal reporters then presented the themes and overall atmosphere that emerged during the day’s work, which also included moments of singing and prayer, with a lunch break in the atrium of the Paul VI Hall (with the Pope in attendance, who presented each with a medal of his pontificate). Synodality, the need to live it as “companions on the journey,” to reflect it in the exercise of authority, in the formation and work of nuncios, and to live it in the Curia with “greater internationalization,” as well as a revisiting of Pope Francis’s exhortation *Evangelii gaudium*, a text that has not “expired” with the previous pontificate but continues to challenge dioceses, the Roman Curia, and the Pope himself, were the subjects of discussion within the language groups. There were twenty groups in total: eleven including non-voting cardinals, and nine with voting cardinals, diocesan ordinaries, and nuncios still in service, explained the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni.
“The Pope was taking notes, very attentive”
Cardinal Brislin described the experience as “very enriching,” thanks to the different perspectives that allowed for a deeper understanding of the world’s needs. It was, therefore, an opportunity to get to know and understand one another. “The fact that there will be another meeting in June is a sign that the Holy Father took seriously the fact that we can help him in his role as Successor of Peter,” he said. “Eight months after the Conclave, the Pope wanted to convene us to hear us,” Cardinal Rueda added. This “strengthens us in the Church’s mission.” Cardinal David praised the format used for the work, which allowed “everyone to speak,” and appreciated that the Pope “listened more than he spoke.” “He was taking notes, was very attentive, and the contributions he made were very enriching for all of us.”
A journalist asked what new elements emerged from this consistory, given that many of the topics discussed had already been extensively explored during the recent Synod on Synodality. In response, Cardinal Brislin explained that the novelty should not be sought “only in the discussions,” but in the “opportunity to get to know each other and listen to each other.” “This is important because we come from different parts of the world; some are new cardinals, others have been cardinals for a long time.” The Pope, he added, “wants to be collegial, wants to listen, wants to draw on the experience and knowledge of cardinals who come from the various parts of the world, because this can help him guide the Church.” The profiles are “diverse,” but the work was done “in a harmony that is not uniformity,” concluded Cardinal Rueda.
The Role of Laity and Women
Regarding the themes, journalists also asked whether the issue of the participation of lay people and the role of women in the Church was discussed. In response, Cardinal David said: “How can we not recognize the role of women and their ministries in the Church?” “Certainly” the issue of women is “a constant concern,” he said, recalling the results – recently published – of the Commission for the study of the female diaconate. David also mentioned “clericalism” and revisited the idea of the “priesthood” of the people, inspired by Vatican II. “We spoke of the body of the Church: we have the head of the Church, but not only the head, there is also a body. People have the power to participate in the life and mission of the Church.”
