As Pope Leo XIV opened the first extraordinary consistory of his pontificate Wednesday, some cardinals told The Pillar they hope for an opportunity to raise issues not formally on the agenda — including the crisis in Venezuela — while others have expressed some confusion about the consistory’s format.
And several sources say that the meeting — a gathering of cardinals to discuss curial reform, synodality, and liturgy — is expected to shape a document articulating the pope’s liturgical vision for the Church.
Meanwhile, the consistory marks the first major statement of intent in Leo’s papacy, and an early test of his promise of greater consultation with the college of cardinals after years of complaints that the college was sidelined under Francis.
As cardinals gathered in Rome last year for the conclave that would elect Pope Leo, several raised during pre-conclave meetings the concern that Pope Francis had not sufficiently consulted the college of cardinals, and had rarely gathered the body in Rome for consistory meetings.
Ahead of the conclave, then-Cardinal Robert Prevost suggested a more collaborative style would be needed in the next pontificate, several sources have told The Pillar.
And just days after his May election, Pope Leo acknowledged in a meeting with cardinals that many had requested an increase in “dialogue…to hear advice, suggestions, proposals and specific issues.”
In light of that hope, one Latin American cardinal told The Pillar this week that Leo’s decision to convene a consistory less than one year into his pontificate has been received by cardinals as an “extraordinary act of humility and wisdom — it’s real collegiality.”
In December, Pope Leo sent a letter to cardinals in which he outlined his intentions for the consistory.
He asked cardinals to re-read Evangelii gaudium, Francis’ first apostolic exhortation, and Praedicate evangelium, Francis’ document on the reform of the Roman curia.
He also mentioned that synodality and liturgical questions would be key issues to discuss during the consistory.
Several cardinals told The Pillar this week they expected that discussions on the liturgy would eventually lead to a papal document that outlines Leo’s liturgical vision.
“People think the liturgical question is just about the old Mass, but I think the pope has a much broader vision,” one senior Vatican official told The Pillar.
“I expect the Holy Father to prepare a document on the liturgy, but he wants to have to approach it holistically and with serenity. It’s not something to resolve abruptly, he wants to listen, and it’s about much more than the TLM,” the official added.
“There are too many liturgical abuses, and we’ve lost the sense of mystery in the Mass. The pope served for a long time in Latin America, where the liturgy can be quite uninspiring sometimes, so he understands this issue,” another cardinal said.
Cardinals also raised the question of the inculturation of the liturgy.
“I think the ‘Zaire use’ is a good example, but we haven’t tackled this question with serenity and sincerity. There was a lot of discussion about an Amazonian rite, but that’s reductionism. You have over 50 ethnicities, each with a different language, and a different underlying anthropology,” a cardinal said.
“Are we supposed to have 50 different missals with different adaptations just for the Amazon region? It’s not realistic,” the cardinal added.
Still, the same cardinal believed that the consistory could help Western cardinals to be more sensitive to inculturating the liturgy.
“It’s a difficult issue, but we haven’t had a mature discussion about it. Too many European and American cardinals and bishops get too defensive when you bring up this issue, but considering the pope’s experiences in Peru with the indigenous peoples there, I think he understands it. But we have to do it in a way that faithfully reflects the mystery of the Eucharist,” the same cardinal added.
Several cardinals speaking to the press seemed reluctant to project how the consistory might discuss ongoing controversy in the Church over the use of preconciliar liturgical texts, which were significantly restricted by Pope Francis in 2021.
“I can certainly imagine a future with more flexibility for the Tridentine Mass,” Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg told reporters outside of Paul VI Hall on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, several cardinals from the developing world expressed ambivalence about questions regarding preconciliar liturgical texts — a subject of considerable controversy in the U.S. and some European countries, but less prevalent in other parts of the Church.
“I’m just here to listen,” one Latin American cardinal told The Pillar.
“I’m indifferent to that question,” Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo da Silva of Dili, Timor Leste, told the press outside of the Paul VI Hall.
But while cardinals told The Pillar they were prepared to discuss liturgy among the four topics outlined in the pope’s December letter, time constraints forced them to choose only two.
In the end, the cardinals opted to proceed with discussions on the Church’s mission and evangelization, as well as synodality.
The Holy See press office later said in a briefing after the sessions that questions related to liturgy would be addressed within the broader discussion of the Church’s mission and evangelization.
But several cardinals expressed uncertainty about the the format of the consistory.
Cardinals are expected to meet mostly in small working groups during the consistory, with limited time given to a plenary session of the entire assembly — the same format used in 2022 meetings on the reform of the Roman curia
“I’m making my debut in these kinds of meetings, so I’m not really sure I understand how it’s going to work,” one cardinal told The Pillar.
Other cardinals told The Pillar they would have preferred more open plenary sessions, so that the college of cardinals as a whole could listen to the contributions made by each cardinal.
A Vatican press office statement said that the consistory will include “moments of communion and fraternity, as well as times dedicated to reflection, sharing and prayer.”
“These moments will be oriented towards fostering common discernment and offering support and advice to the Holy Father in the exercise of his high and demanding responsibility in the governance of the universal Church,” it adds.
Still, in Thursday’s open discussion, cardinals are expected to bring topics that are not on the official agenda of the consistory.
Some cardinals told The Pillar that they expect to talk about the current situation in Venezuela, including the American arrest of President Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3, and the state of Church in the country.
Cardinal José Cobo of Madrid spoke with the press outside the Paul VI hall about the situation in the country.
“It’s not on the agenda, but it’s important. I spoke with [Venezuelan] Cardinal Porras last week and he told me he couldn’t come to Rome, that his passport was still retained,” the Spanish cardinal said.
“We’re praying every day for Venezuela, we want to bring it up [in the consistory], to defend human rights and peace in Venezuela,” a Latin American cardinal told The Pillar.
“It’s not on the agenda, but it’s an important matter, so I expect it’ll be discussed,” another Latin American cardinal said.