Of the 245 members of the College of Cardinals, 170—that is, 70% of the college—took part in the consistory, including both electors and emeriti, coming from all five continents.
Among those absent was Cardinal Brenes, Archbishop of Managua, Nicaragua. One might think he was unable to travel to Rome because of the repression of the current dictatorship, but that had nothing to do with it. According to Brenes, he had not received news of the convocation.
The Holy See denied this claim, with the Vatican press office responding that all the cardinals had been invited. It seems there was, at the least, a big miscommunication.
During the gathering, the Vatican requested that the cardinals in attendance keep the details of the agenda for the consistory confidential. The reason for this is that it allows them to feel freer to express themselves, which is also why the meetings are held behind closed doors.
The first session of the gathering was led by a president, Cardinal Artime, and three moderators: Cardinals Artime, Tagle, and Tolentino.
Before the meeting began, Cardinal Radcliffe delivered a meditation in which he spoke about the current struggles within the Church, but called for the Church to face them with courage and truth.
The Church itself is shaken by its own storms: sexual abuse and ideological divisions. The Lord calls us to sail in these storms and to face them with truth and courage, without timidly remaining on the shore. If we do so in this Consistory, we will see Him coming to meet us. If, on the contrary, we remain hidden on the shore, we will not find Him.
Pope Leo also shared some words, during which he proposed the following topics to the cardinals for discussion:
- Evangelii gaudium, the mission of the Church in today’s world
- Praedicate Evangelium, the Holy See's role of service, especially to the particular Churches
- Synodality, the instrument and means of ecclesial collaboration
- Liturgy, the source and summit of the Christian life
The Pope then clarified that, due to lack of time, the cardinals could choose only two topics for discussion, which is what they did that afternoon.
In the Paul VI Hall, and with Pope Leo absent until the end, each member within the working groups had three minutes to explain which topics they wanted to delve into and why. After a couple of hours, the decision was reached.
A majority of the cardinals decided that synodality and the missionary vocation of the Church would be the topics for discussion. The Vatican clarified that this does not mean the others will not be addressed, but rather that they will not be the main focal points of the consistory.
The Pope also explained that the conclusions of the gathering, while they will contribute to decisions to come, will not be final.
The groups will contribute to the decision we make, but since it is easier for me to ask advice from those who work in the Curia and live in Rome, the groups that will present their reports will be the nine coming from the local Churches.
Based on these words from Pope Leo, an implicit question pervaded the close of the second and final session of the extraordinary consistory: looking ahead at the next few years, what aspects and priorities will guide the actions of the Holy Father and of the Curia regarding the feedback of this gathering?
CA
