Rome – Pope Leo XIV has summoned Catholic cardinals from around the world to the Vatican for a meeting called an “extraordinary consistory” to seek guidance on the Catholic Church’s priorities for the coming years.
“I’m here to listen,” Leo, a native of Chicago and the first U.S. pope, said Wednesday in opening remarks. “This day and a half will give us the way to go together.”
Of the 245 members of the College of Cardinals, 170 of the so-called “princes of the church” were in Vatican City to participate in the gathering.
As they marched, Leo asked the cardinals to choose two of four possible topics for specific discussions: the missionary nature of the Church, further reforms of the Vatican bureaucracy, synodality and liturgy.
A majority has decided to prioritize missionary and synodal issues over liturgy or Vatican reforms, according to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni. This means that it is likely that the consistory will focus on how to make the church more missionary and respond to the needs of the faithful.
Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty 
It is significant that the cardinals decided not to discuss the liturgy, which would likely see them grappling with church divisions over the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass after Pope Francis sharply curtailed its use.
The Latin Mass – also known as the Tridentine Mass – is controversial because it represents a form of Catholic worship that some say is outside of modern sensibilities. It is celebrated entirely in Latin, with the priest facing the altar and the faithful kneeling to receive communion in the tongue. Critics say it can feel unapproachable and limits parishioner participation, while supporters say it’s a sacred preservation of tradition.
Just by convening the consistory, Pope Leo has underlined his commitment to involve the entire College of Cardinals in the governance of the Catholic Church, which has about 1.4 billion followers worldwide, according to the Vatican.
By contrast, during his 12-year pontificate, Pope Francis had only one separate consistory, relying instead on a small group of hand-picked advisers to help chart the church’s course, a practice that left some cardinals feeling sidelined.
Since his elections in May at the papal conclaveThe mandate of the American Pontiff has, to a large extent, been shaped by the commitments inherited from Francis, among other things. 2025 Holy Year events.
By convening the consistory after these Holy Year events, Leo seems to be marking the unofficial launch of his pontificate and charting a course that aligns with his priorities.
Leo said on Wednesday that his Pope would be progressive, and that Vatican II The council – an important gathering in the 1960s known as Vatican II, which was seen as a significant move to modernize the Catholic Church – called him the “guiding star” of the Church’s journey under his leadership.
Among other things, Vatican II made it possible to celebrate in local languages, not just traditional Latin. It also introduced simpler rituals and encouraged greater active lay participation in congregations, and fostered better relations between Catholics, Jews and people of other faiths, and promoted the church’s engagement with the modern world.