Pope Leo opens first consistory with strong emphasis on synodality, Vatican II

VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo XIV opened his first extraordinary consistory with an agenda centered on synodality, liturgy and the legacy of the Second Vatican Council.

On Wednesday, January 7, Pope Leo began the first extraordinary consistory of his pontificate at the Vatican, convening cardinals from around the world in the Paul VI Hall and the New Synod Hall to reflect together, advise the Pope, and discuss key themes like synodality and liturgy through a program centered on small working groups and plenary interventions.

In his general audience held earlier the same day, Leo said that the Second Vatican Council “has helped us to open ourselves to the world and to grasp the changes and challenges of the modern age in dialogue and shared responsibility,” adding “we must still more fully realize ecclesial reform in a ministerial key.”

According to details published by Il Giornale, registration for participating cardinals began at midday Tuesday in the atrium of the Paul VI Hall. The first working session formally opened at 3:30 p.m. in the New Synod Hall with a moment of common prayer, followed by an address from the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, and introductory remarks by the Pope.

The consistory is organized into three sessions over two days. The first session concluded at 6:45 p.m. with a papal address and prayer. On Thursday morning, the cardinals are scheduled to celebrate Mass at the Altar of the Chair in St Peter’s Basilica before beginning the second session, which includes reports from working groups and a limited period for discussion scheduled for midday. After a communal lunch with the Pope, the third and final session begins at 3:15 p.m. The consistory is set to close at 6:45 p.m. with a concluding papal address and the chanting of Te Deum.

READ: Bishop Barron criticizes ‘synodality’ and ‘Spirit of Vatican II’ in new statement

The working method relies heavily on small discussion groups, from which collective reports will be presented to the assembly. This format mirrors the one adopted during the 2022 meeting of cardinals on the reform of the Roman Curia. At that time, the use of small groups rather than extended plenary interventions was a point of concern for some members of the College, as it limited opportunities for individual cardinals to address the entire body. The groups were organized primarily by language, a criterion that drew mixed reactions.

The initial convocation letter sent on November 7, 2025, by Cardinal Re did not specify the use of working groups, and cardinals reportedly received the detailed program only shortly before the consistory began.

Free interventions — once central to older consistories — have been reduced now to less than 60 minutes in the second session and approximately 45 minutes in the third. Internal Vatican sources told LifeSiteNews this organizational model has generated “significant discontent” among several cardinals who fear it restricts open discussion.

Sources also told LifeSiteNews that key roles in the opening phases of the consistory were assigned to figures closely aligned with the theological and pastoral approach of Pope Francis. Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe O.P. was scheduled to deliver the opening meditation at 3:30 p.m., Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça to moderate the second session, and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle to moderate the third session. These three cardinals belong to the faction within the progressive wing of the College closest to Francis’ sensibilities, reflecting an apparent continuity with the previous pontificate.

Hours before entering the consistory, Pope Leo addressed approximately 7,000 faithful during the first general audience of the year in the Paul VI Hall, as reported by Vatican News. He announced a new cycle of catecheses entitled The Second Vatican Council through its Documents, aimed at rediscovering “the beauty and importance of this ecclesial event” and encouraging its practical implementation.

In his address, the Pope highlighted the Council’s vision of the Church as a “mystery of communion” and referred to its liturgical reform, ecumenical commitment and engagement with the modern world. Quoting Pope Paul VI and citing Pope Francis, Leo stressed the need to interpret the “signs of the times” and to continue a process of ecclesial reform, themes that closely mirror those proposed for discussion during the consistory.

In the same general audience, Leo explicitly recalled the liturgical reform initiated by the Second Vatican Council, stating that the Council “set in motion an important liturgical reform by placing at the center the mystery of salvation and the active and conscious participation of the entire People of God.”

Referring to the theological and liturgical reflection that marked the 20th century and culminated in the Council, the Pope presented this reform as an integral part of conciliar renewal, linking it to a broader ecclesiology of communion and to the Church’s engagement with the modern world.