Earlier this month, Pope Leo XIV convened the first Extraordinary Consistory of his pontificate, which took place in Rome on Jan. 7 and 8. The gathering brought together cardinals from across the globe to advise him on issues affecting the wider Church.

“I am here to listen,” Pope Leo XIV said in his opening address to the cardinals. He reiterated that the purpose of the consistory was not to “arrive at a text” but to “continue a conversation that will help me in serving the mission of the entire Church.”

Among four topics initially proposed for the consistory’s discussions, a “clear majority” of cardinals voted to focus on evangelization and synodality, given the short time frame of the gathering. The other two topics – liturgy and the reform of the Roman Curia – will be addressed at a later time.

The consistory was reminiscent of the 2025 Synod on Synodality: the cardinals worked together at tables (divided by language groups) where they listened to short speeches by fellow cardinals at their table and discussed the two chosen themes.

On the second day of the consistory, Pope Leo celebrated Mass with the cardinals at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica. In his homily, he affirmed that the purpose of the gathering was to “discern together what the Lord is asking of us for the good of his people.”

At the conclusion of the consistory, Pope Leo thanked the cardinals for their participation and announced that he intended to gather them again around the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (late June 2026), and then, annually, indicating a desire to more heavily engage the college of cardinals to help him govern the universal Church.