VATICAN (Agencies): An extraordinary consistory of cardinals opened at the Vatican on January 7, gathering 170 cardinals for what could be one of Pope Leo XIV’s defining moments of his pontificate, OSV News reported.
The meeting began with the chanting of “Veni Creator Spiritus,” and after the pope’s speech and Timothy Cardinal Radlciffe’s meditation, moved quickly into small group discussions, echoing the synodal style of recent Church assemblies.
Pope Leo set the tone with a simple message: “I am here to listen.” He stressed that the gathering was not about drafting documents, but continuing a conversation to help him serve the universal Church.
Emphasising unity and collegiality, the pope urged cardinals to grow in communion, warning that “division scatters.”
Cardinals voted overwhelmingly to focus discussions on two themes: the Church’s missionary identity, rooted in Evangelii Gaudium, and synodality as a way of working together.
A meditation by Cardinal Radcliffe urged cardinals to stand with Peter amid the “storms of our times.” The chosen themes will be taken up on January 8, as the pope and cardinals continue discerning the Church’s path forward.
Pope Leo first Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals is set to run from January 7-8, Vatican News reported on 20 December 2025.
“The meeting will unfold over two days and will be marked by moments of communion and fraternity, as well as times dedicated to reflection, sharing, and prayer,” read a statement from the Holy See Press Office.
The encounter will seek to foster discernment and offer “support and counsel to the Holy Father in the exercise of his lofty and weighty responsibility in the governance of the universal Church.”
According to Zenit, the gathering will be consultative with no creation of new cardinals and no ceremonial agenda. Instead, the days will be structured around prayer, reflection and open exchange, with the explicit aim of supporting the pope in governing the Church. The emphasis on fraternity and shared discernment suggests a leadership style that seeks breadth rather than reliance on a small inner circle.
