Pope Leo XIV directly enlisted the ongoing support of the world’s cardinals after two days of meetings that served as a reset of the delicate relationship between the head of the Catholic Church and those considered to be his closest advisors.
And signaling that the direct collaboration between the pope and the College of Cardinals would be ongoing, Leo told the cardinals they will meet again over two days near the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul June 29 and then begin annual meetings of three to four days, according to Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office.
During his first extraordinary consistory on Jan. 7-8, a rare meeting that summons cardinals from around the world to Rome and is sparingly used by modern popes, Leo made a direct appeal for collaboration on the part of the cardinals, asking their assistance in charting the course for the initial years of his young pontificate.
“I feel, I experience the need to be able to count on you,” the pope told the cardinals in closing the first of the consistory’s three working sessions. “It is important that we work together, that we discern together, that we seek what the spirit is asking of us.”
After eight months largely defined by the 2025 Holy Year set in motion by Pope Francis, Leo called the world’s cardinals to Rome just one day after the Jubilee’s conclusion in a move widely read as the pope firing the starting gun on his agenda.
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With thanks to the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) and Justin McLellan, where this article originally appeared.
