Leo XIV’s governance takes shape with a second consistory
Pope Leo XIV convened an extraordinary consistory on June 26‑27, inviting all 241 cardinals to the Vatican. The meeting is held to address special needs of the Church and serious matters, as per canon law. Unlike ordinary consistories, this extraordinary session is open and includes the entire College of Cardinals. The consistory follows the precedent of Pope Benedict XVI who never held one, and is distinct from public consistories that create new cardinals.
3 months ago
Pope Leo XIV convened a second extraordinary consistory on 26‑27 June 2026, gathering all 241 cardinals in Rome to deepen collegial governance and address key pastoral priorities. 1
The consistory is framed as an “extraordinary” meeting, called only when the Church faces special needs, and is intended to give the global College of Cardinals a decisive voice in the Pope’s agenda. 1
Cardinals selected the two principal topics inherited from Pope Francis: synodality—the participatory, inclusive dimension of Church life—and evangelization. These will structure the two main discussion sessions. 1
Discussions are tightly timed, conducted in small groups, and limited to three‑minute interventions to ensure focus and efficiency. 1
In his opening homily, Leo XIV urged the cardinals to ground their discernment in the common good of the Church. He outlined three criteria:
These points were presented as the theological and ethical framework for the consistory’s work. 2
Leo XIV is institutionalising the extraordinary consistory as a core instrument of his pontificate, responding to cardinals’ desire for a more collegial Church structure beyond merely electing a pope. He has not yet held an ordinary consistory but plans to make the extraordinary format an annual event beginning in 2027. 1 2
The Pope emphasizes that the voices of cardinals serving outside Rome, especially in peripheral and impoverished regions, will be privileged over Curial officials, reinforcing a “bottom‑up” flow of pastoral experience. 1
The June consistory sets the tone for Leo XIV’s governance: a synodal, collegial, and globally inclusive approach that seeks to translate doctrinal teachings—such as those in Magnifica Humanitas—into concrete action for peace, justice, and evangelization. The Pope’s outlined criteria aim to steer future deliberations toward the common good, positioning the College of Cardinals as an active partner in the Church’s mission. 2*
Examine canon law’s role in convening extraordinary consistories
Canon law defines what a consistory is, who participates, and what makes a consistory “extraordinary”—but it also makes clear that the initiative and authority to convene belongs to the Roman Pontiff. In other words: canon law provides the legal architecture for extraordinary consistories, while the Pope remains the active convenor who decides when the Church’s needs warrant that more urgent, grave mode of consultation and collegial action.
Canon 353 situates consistories inside the Church’s highest governance structure. Cardinals “especially assist” the supreme pastor by “collegial action” when gathered in consistory “by order of the Roman Pontiff who presides.”
This is crucial for understanding the role of canon law: it is not merely procedural; it expresses an ecclesiological principle:
Canon 353 divides consistories into two kinds:
Canon law therefore performs a juridical classification function: it tells you that “extraordinary consistory” is not just a political label; it is a canonical category with defined conditions.
For an extraordinary consistory, canon 353 gives the legal basis in terms of necessity and gravity:
“For an extraordinary consistory, which is celebrated when particular needs of the Church or the treatment of more grave affairs suggests it, all the cardinals are called together.”
So canon law identifies two canonical “triggers” (not just one):
These phrases function as a canonical standard that:
The most concrete difference in canon 353 is participation.
This means canon law assigns extraordinary consistories a distinctive governance feature: wider consultation at the level of the entire college of cardinals.
Canon law’s design suggests that the Pope uses different modes of cardinal assistance depending on the scope and seriousness of the matter:
Even though both types remain acts of consultation/assistance to the Pope presiding, “extraordinary” is made canonically “extraordinary” in participation.
Canon 353 does something else very important: it specifies not only what happens, but who commands the assembly.
Canon law here draws a clear line:
So canon law’s role is best understood as:
Canon 353 also governs whether a consistory can be “public.”
“Only the ordinary consistory in which some solemnities are celebrated can be public… admitted… in addition to the cardinals.”
This is directly relevant to “extraordinary” consistories because it implies a canonical default:
Canon law therefore uses publicity rules to manage:
Your question is about consistories, not the Synod of Bishops. However, canon law shows a consistent pattern across governance structures: extraordinary forms are used when matters require special urgency or special circumstances.
For example, canon law describes the synod of bishops as having ordinary or extraordinary general sessions:
This parallel is helpful analytically: canon law consistently links the “extraordinary” designation to a special need (urgency/gravity) and adjusts who participates and how.
Canon 353 gives the essential juridical framework, but in the text provided it does not spell out details such as:
Those details might exist elsewhere in the broader legal/disciplinary framework, but within the supplied sources the key point remains: the canon’s core task is to define the legal identity and conditions of extraordinary consistories, anchored in the Pope’s ordering authority and collegial assistance of cardinals.
Canon law’s role in convening extraordinary consistories is to establish a juridically meaningful category: an extraordinary consistory occurs when “particular needs of the Church” or “more grave affairs” require it, and it canonically requires calling all cardinals. At the same time, canon law clearly protects the Pope’s governance: cardinals are gathered by order of the Roman Pontiff who presides, so the extraordinary consistory is not a self-triggered institution but a structured mode of cardinal assistance under the supreme pastor’s authority.