Carmen Álvarez Cuadrado
The schedule for the upcoming consistory has now been made public. It will be the second time this year that the cardinals gather with the Pope. The last meeting took place in early January and was attended by 170 cardinals.
Far from the common public perception of a consistory – namely, that it is intended to create cardinals or set dates for canonizations – Leo XIV’s intention from the outset has been to listen to the College of Cardinals at least once a year.
The meetings will take place on June 26 and 27, with sessions scheduled for both the morning and the afternoon, once again in the Paul VI Hall. The setting recalls the Synod on Synodality, not only because of the venue itself but also because of the working method.
The cardinals will be divided into two main groups. Within them, there will be nine smaller groups made up of the ordinary cardinal electors and another eleven groups composed of Curia cardinals and non-elector cardinals.
Most importantly, the agenda and the questions to be addressed have already been outlined. Discussions will focus, for example, on the impact of current conflicts and divisions, and on what can be done to help build peace. Another topic will be the culture of power, as well as Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas.
The work of those two days will be preceded by two Masses. The first, on Friday at 7:30 a.m., will be celebrated by the Pope. The second, at the same time on Saturday, will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals.
And although scenes like these may once again be witnessed, participants have been asked to maintain the utmost confidentiality and avoid any contact with the press while the consistory is underway. The aim, organizers say, is to preserve an atmosphere of fraternal dialogue.
