Pope Leo XIV has summoned cardinals worldwide for an extraordinary consistory on January 7 and 8, 2026, marking the first major collegial gathering since his election. The consistory, a meeting of all cardinals, will discuss important Church issues, with the possibility of new cardinal appointments. The gathering reflects Pope Leo XIV's collegial approach to governance, aligning with desires expressed during the conclave. Archbishop Filippo Iannone, head of the Dicastery for Bishops, is a potential candidate for becoming a cardinal. The consistory, held eight months after the Pope's election, signifies his intention to collaborate with the College of Cardinals.
21 days ago
Pope Leo XIV has summoned all 245 cardinals to an extraordinary consistory on January 7 and 8, 2026, marking the first major collegial gathering since his election on May 8, 2025.1
The meeting will occur behind closed doors to discuss key Church issues, though the specific agenda remains undisclosed to participants.1
This event follows notifications sent to the College of Cardinals, as reported earlier by the National Catholic Register on November 7.1
The consistory reflects Pope Leo XIV's commitment to a "new style of governance" that prioritizes collegiality and responds to pre-conclave discussions among cardinals.1
Vatican sources describe this as an implementation of greater synodality, contrasting with the more solitary decision-making observed under Pope Francis.1
Just two days after his election, Leo XIV convened the cardinals for a reflective "workshop," revealing his consultative working method.1
Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco noted that the pope actively seeks diverse opinions before deciding, underscoring a collaborative ethos.1
During the consistory, Pope Leo XIV may create new cardinals, potentially including figures like Archbishop Filippo Iannone, the new head of the Dicastery for Bishops.1
Such appointments align with tradition for key Curia officials, though the pope could opt to delay, given the current 124 cardinal electors under age 80—exceeding Paul VI's limit of 120.1
This flexibility highlights Leo XIV's strategic approach to balancing the College's composition.1
Extraordinary consistories were infrequent under Pope Francis, who relied on a smaller advisory Council of Cardinals (C9) established in 2013 and occasional full gatherings, such as in 2014 on family issues and 2022 on Curia reforms.1
Cardinals, derived from the Latin "cardo" meaning "pivot," serve as the pope's closest collaborators, assisting collegially on major matters or individually in Church governance.1
Originally tied to Roman parishes, most now reside globally but retain symbolic titular links, emphasizing their universal role.1
Assess the collegial governance model inaugurated by Pope Leo XIV
The collegial governance model in the Catholic Church emphasizes the shared responsibility of the bishops, in communion with the Pope, for the universal Church's mission, rooted in the apostolic college established by Christ. While specific details on the governance model inaugurated by Pope Leo XIV—elected in May 2025 following the death of Pope Francis—are not yet fully documented in available Catholic sources, an assessment can draw from the Church's longstanding teachings on collegiality and synodality. These principles, developed through Vatican II and subsequent papal initiatives, provide a framework for understanding how a new pontificate might build upon them. Pope Leo XIV's approach, as the 267th successor of Peter, likely continues this trajectory, promoting episcopal collaboration "cum Petro et sub Petro" (with Peter and under Peter) to foster unity, discernment, and evangelization in a diverse global Church. This essay evaluates the model's historical foundations, theological strengths, practical implementations, and potential challenges, highlighting its fidelity to Catholic doctrine.
Collegiality traces its origins to the early Church, where the apostles governed as a body under Peter's leadership, as seen in the Acts of the Apostles and the ecumenical councils. In the Roman tradition, this evolved through the papal consistory, an assembly of cardinals advising the Pope on ecclesiastical affairs. From the fourth century, popes like Siricius (384–398) consulted the Roman presbytery—precursors to the cardinals—on doctrinal and disciplinary matters, such as condemning heresies. By the ninth century, Popes Leo IV and John VIII formalized regular meetings of cardinals to administer churches, enforce clerical discipline, and adjudicate cases, marking the consistory as a key organ of governance.
This structure gained prominence in the twelfth century as popes increasingly relied on cardinals amid declining regional councils, especially after the exclusive right of papal election was granted to them in 1059 by Nicholas II and confirmed at the Third Lateran Council in 1179. The consistory thus became the "senate of the Roman Pontiff," handling judicial, administrative, and legislative matters, including bishop nominations, canonizations, and concordats. During a papal vacancy (sede vacante), the College of Cardinals assumed interim governance, administering the Papal States and preparing for the conclave, underscoring their role in preserving unity.
Over time, as the Church's administrative demands grew, the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Roman Congregations—permanent committees of cardinals—divided responsibilities, reducing the consistory's centrality but preserving collegial consultation. Popes like Paul III, Pius IV, and Sixtus V institutionalized these bodies to manage vast ecclesiastical business efficiently. This historical model balanced papal primacy with episcopal and cardinal input, ensuring decisions reflected the Church's catholicity—its universality across peoples and cultures.
The Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) provided the definitive theological articulation of collegiality, presenting it as a constitutive element of the Church's structure. In Lumen Gentium, the Council taught that bishops, as successors to the apostles, exercise a sacred power collegially for the universal Church, always in hierarchical communion with the Pope as the college's head. This "collegial spirit" extends to enlightening the faithful with the Gospel, sanctifying through grace, and governing pastorally. Collegiality is not merely consultative but participatory, rooted in Christ's institution of the apostolic college.
Post-Vatican II popes operationalized this through institutions like the Synod of Bishops, established by Paul VI in 1965 as a "permanent organ" for episcopal collaboration. In his 1979 consistory address, John Paul II described new cardinals as representatives of the universal Church, aiding the Pope in governance and election. Similarly, John XXIII's 1960 consistory emphasized selecting cardinals from diverse regions—Asia, Africa, and beyond—to reflect the Church's global mission, transcending linguistic, racial, or cultural barriers. John Paul II further linked collegiality to national episcopal conferences, fostering "iunctim" (togetherness) between local and universal dimensions.
Under Pope Francis, collegiality evolved into "synodality," a broader concept encompassing the whole People of God. The International Theological Commission's 2018 document Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church defines synodality as the Church's "walking together," involving listening, dialogue, and discernment at all levels—local, regional, and universal—under bishops in communion with the Pope. It distinguishes synodality (participation of all faithful) from collegiality (episcopal exercise), yet sees them as interdependent: synodality manifests through collegial structures like synods and consistories. The 2024 Synod Final Document reinforces this, portraying synodality as a "path of spiritual renewal and structural reform" for a participatory, missionary Church. The Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity's 2024 text The Bishop of Rome extends this ecumenically, advocating collegiality as a model for unity, where the Pope exercises primacy in collegial association with bishops.
Pope Leo XIV, as a former cardinal and missionary bishop (born Robert Francis Prevost, with experience in Peru and the Augustinians), inherits this framework. His inauguration of a "collegial governance model" likely emphasizes synodal processes, building on the 2021–2024 Synod on Synodality, to address contemporary challenges like secularization and global divisions.
The collegial model excels in promoting unity and mission. Theologically, it safeguards papal primacy while distributing responsibility, preventing centralization and echoing the Trinitarian communion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. By involving cardinals and bishops from diverse nations—as in Paul VI's 1965 consistory creating 27 cardinals from 24 countries—it embodies the Church's catholicity, gathering humanity under Christ's lordship. Synodality enhances this by including laity, fostering "co-responsibility" without clericalizing roles or undermining hierarchy. The 2018 ITC document stresses that synodality energizes evangelization, converting structures for mission rather than self-preservation.
Practically, institutions like the Synod of Bishops and cardinal dicastery meetings (mandated by John Paul II's 1988 Pastor Bonus) enable coordinated action on issues like doctrinal clarity and social justice. John Paul II's 1968 address to cardinals highlighted these gatherings for exchanging information and collective counsel, ensuring efficient governance. In a post-2025 context, Leo XIV's model could strengthen episcopal conferences and consistories to navigate cultural shifts, as urged in the 2024 Synod Document for "mutual listening" and "differentiated co-responsibilities." This aligns with Vatican II's vision of bishops sharing solicitude for the whole Church.
Despite its strengths, the model faces hurdles. Historically, consistories lost prominence to congregations due to administrative overload, risking fragmentation. Synodality's emphasis on dialogue could dilute authority if not balanced with decisive leadership, as cautioned in The Bishop of Rome: primacy must remain "pastoral in purpose even when juridical in form," within a collegial context. The ITC warns against "excessive clericalism" or lay overreach, advocating humility and fidelity to the Gospel.
Controversies arise in implementation: some fear synodality blurs teaching authority (ecclesia docens) with the faithful (ecclesia discens), but sources affirm bishops' unique charism as interpreters of faith. Ecumenically, while promising (e.g., ARCIC's call for collegial primacy), it requires navigating Orthodox and Protestant views on authority. For Leo XIV's pontificate, early challenges might include integrating synodality amid geopolitical tensions, ensuring decisions reflect the Holy Spirit's guidance rather than majority opinion. Recent sources prioritize more recent teachings (e.g., 2024 Synod over earlier consistory practices), emphasizing mission over rigid structures.
The collegial governance model, as inaugurated by Pope Leo XIV, represents a faithful evolution of Catholic tradition, blending historical consistorial consultation with Vatican II's collegiality and Francis's synodality. It fosters a participatory Church attuned to the world's needs, promoting evangelization through shared discernment. While sources lack specifics on Leo XIV's innovations, they affirm the model's enduring value: unity in diversity, under the Pope's primacy, for the Kingdom of God. As the Church journeys forward, this approach invites all faithful to co-responsibility, ensuring the light of Christ radiates universally.