Pope Leo XIV on Thursday called on cardinals to experience the extraordinary consistory as a time of spiritual discernment in unity and warned against the temptation to put personal interests ahead of the common good.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe gather not to promote personal or group \u2018agendas\u2019 but to entrust our plans and inspirations to a discernment that transcends us \u2014 \u2018as the heavens are higher than the earth\u2019 \u2014 and which comes only from the Lord,\u201d he said in his homily for the Mass he celebrated Jan. 8 in St. Peter\u2019s Basilica with the cardinals present in Rome for this important two-day ecclesial meeting convened to help him make decisions about the future of the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n
Leo XIV urged the cardinals to experience the Eucharist as the place where this discernment is purified and transformed, asking them to place all their \u201chopes and ideas upon the altar.\u201d<\/p>\n
Truly listening to the voice of God<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly in this way will we truly know how to listen to his voice and to welcome it through the gift that we are to one another \u2014 which is the very reason we have gathered,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The pope linked this vision to the spirituality of communion, recalling that Christian love is \u201cTrinitarian\u201d and \u201crelational,\u201d and quoted St. John Paul II, who defined it as \u201cthe heart\u2019s contemplation of the mystery of the Trinity dwelling in us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV during the consecration at the Mass for the consistory of cardinals on Jan. 8, 2026, at St. Peter\u2019s Basilica at the Vatican. | Credit: Vatican Media<\/p>\n
This extraordinary consistory \u2014 different from the ordinary ones, which are more limited and frequent \u2014 was planned to take place immediately after the Jubilee of Hope to \u201coffer support and advice to the Holy Father in the exercise of his high and arduous responsibility of governing the Church,\u201d according to a statement from the Holy See.<\/p>\n
St. John Paul II convened six extraordinary consistories during his 26-year pontificate, while Pope Benedict XVI chose to hold consultative meetings with the cardinals on the eve of the ordinary consistories. In total, he held three such meetings during his pontificate.<\/p>\n
During the 12 years of his pontificate, Pope Francis held only one extraordinary consistory, on Feb. 20, 2014, which focused primarily on the family and marriage, ahead of the Synod on the Family held that same year.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass with cardinals at the consistory on Jan. 8, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media<\/p>\n
Unlike his predecessor, who preferred to consult with a smaller council, Leo XIV convened the entire College of Cardinals to assist him in governing the universal Church.<\/p>\n
Evangelization and synodality<\/p>\n
The cardinals are expected to offer the new pontiff their views on two specific topics: the Synod and synodality, and the mission of evangelization and the missionary character of the Church in light of Pope Francis\u2019 apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium. Initially, the meeting topics also included discussions on the liturgy and the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium, but lack of time has limited the issues that will be addressed.<\/p>\n
The pontiff reflected on the very meaning of the consistory, recalling that the word \u201cconsistorium\u201d in Latin refers to the idea of \u200b\u200b\u201cpausing.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed, all of us have \u2018paused\u2019 in order to be here. We have set aside our activities for a time, and even canceled important commitments, so as to discern together what the Lord is asking of us for the good of his people,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n
Not a group of experts, but a community of faith<\/p>\n
In his homily, the Holy Father reminded those present that this gathering is not about a \u201cmere group of experts\u201d but \u201ca community of faith. Only when the gifts that each person brings are offered to the Lord and returned by him, will they bear the greatest fruit according to his providence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cardinals arrive for the Mass during the consistory on Jan. 8, 2026, at St. Peter\u2019s Basilica at the Vatican. | Credit: Vatican Media<\/p>\n
The pontiff also recalled the words of St. Leo the Great to emphasize the communal dimension of ecclesial service: \u201cIn this way,\u201d he said, \u201c\u2018the hungry are fed, the naked clothed, the sick visited, and no one seeks his or her own interests, but those of others.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Referring to the challenges of today\u2019s world, marked by profound inequalities and a widespread \u201chunger for goodness and peace,\u201d the pope acknowledged the feeling of inadequacy in the face of the mission but encouraged them to face it together, trusting in providence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will be able to help one another \u2014 and in particular, to help the pope \u2014 to find the \u201cfive loaves and two fish\u201d that providence \u201cnever fails to provide,\u201d he affirmed.<\/p>\n
Leo XIV concluded his homily by offering the cardinals his \u201cheartfelt thanks\u201d for their service and reminding them that, even if they don\u2019t always manage to find solutions to the problems they face.<\/p>\n
\u2018We may not always find immediate solutions to the problems we face\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cWe may not always be able to find immediate solutions to the problems we face. Yet in every place and circumstance, we will be able to help one another \u2014 and in particular, to help the pope,\u201d he said, calling for collaboration.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeloved brothers,\u201d the pope noted, \u201cwhat you offer to the Church through your service, at every level, is something profound and very personal, unique to each of you and precious to all.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to what the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, reported Jan. 7, of the 245 cardinals who currently make up the College of Cardinals, 170 are in Rome participating in the closed-door meetings that concluded Thursday.<\/p>\n
This story\u00a0was first published\u00a0by ACI Prensa, CNA\u2019s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.<\/p>\n