Pope Leo XIV’s Second Extraordinary Consistory (26-27 June 2026) : Mere Receptive Audience or Consultative Body?

As Pope Leo XIV meets with members of the College of Cardinals for the second time from June 26-27 for an extraordinary consistory, the question about the role of College of Cardinals gets momentum again. Tension between the primacy of the Pope and the collegiality of bishops has been present in the Catholic Church, at least since the second Vatican council. During the council some members such as Berard Cardinal Alfrink of Utrecht and the Melchite Patriarch Maximos IV Saigh of Antioch suggested a legislative body of bishops to assist the Pope in the governance of the Church. Some traditional bishops like Archbishop Lefebvre and Archbishop Staffa have already expressed their diss  ent to this suggestion. Formation of episcopal conferences was also criticized as a new kind of collectivism invading the Church. Democratic values such as participation and collectivism were considered as incompatible to the divine authority of the Pope, as the successor of Peter.

Concerning synod of bishops, College of Cardinals or authority of councils the conflict point is that whether the collegiality of bishops relativizes the papal supremacy. The interpretation of the term ‘collegiality’ plays a vital role here. A conservative interpretation, which is called ultramontanism, argues that the Pope alone has the supreme authority, by divine right. The Pope can, if he wills, extend this God-given authority to the college of bishops. Summoning a general council is such an activity that is an extraordinary measure, in which bishops share temporally in the Pope’s supreme authority at human level. According to a liberal interpretation, the subject of supreme authority is the college of bishops in union with its head, the Pope. The Pope is bound to consult bishops before making any important decision. A moderate interpretation that withholds the Pope’s supreme authority and the right of college of bishops took its place in Lumen Gentium as the official teaching of the Church. The Roman Pontiff has sacred primacy and infallible magisterium as the successor of Blessed Peter.

Bishops as the successors of the apostles govern the house of the living God together with the successor of Peter, the Vicar of Christ (LG 18): “Just as in the Gospel, the Lord so disposing, St. Peter and the other apostles constitute one apostolic college, so in a similar way the Roman Pontiff, the successor of Peter, and the bishops, the successors of the apostles, are joined together” (LG 22).

Albeit conservatives’ opposition Pope Paul VI established the synod of bishops through the motu proprio Apostolica sollicitudo of 1965, in which the Pope writes: “And so, after carefully considering the whole matter, because of our esteem and regard for all the Catholic bishops and with the aim of providing them with abundantly means for greater and more effective participation in Our concern for the universal Church, on our own initiative and by Our apostolic authority, We hereby erect and establish here in Rome a permanent Council of bishops for the universal Church, to be directly and immediately subject to Our power. Its proper name will be the Synod of Bishops.” Two points are clear in the motu proprio: on the one hand the Pope wants to give more participation in governing the Church and in his apostolic authority; on the other hand this synod of bishops is subject to the power of the Pope.

Coming back to the consistory of cardinals, from the history of the Church and official magisterium, it is clear that convening extraordinary consistory of cardinals comes under the discernment and the authority of Pope. In the recent past Pope Benedict XVI never convened an extraordinary consistory in the full sense of the definition of extraordinary consistory. Extraordinary consistory includes all cardinals throughout the world, who are able to travel, and allows the Pope to consult with the entire college on various issues that affect the life of the Church. Pope Benedict XVI preferred closed-door small ordinary consistories to full-fledged extraordinary consistories. Pope Francis convened two extraordinary Consistories. In 2014 he called the cardinals to consult on the themes of the upcoming synod on the family and this extraordinary synod became controversial because of Cardinal Walter Kasper’s keynote address that favoured Holy Communion for the divorced and remarried. The second one was in 2022 regarding the reform of the Roman Curia. Otherwise he followed his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI and selected some cardinals representative of the globe for a council of cardinals, with whom he met regularly. The concept of sodality that was widely implemented by Pope Francis has expanded the discussion about the relevant ecclesiastical themes to the deepest level. The synodal process included not only the clerics, but also the laity, from diocesan level to universal level. Etymologically synod and consistory have similar meaning. Synod derives from the ancient Greek word synodos that is a combination of two roots syn, which means ‘together’ or ‘with’, and hodos, which means ‘a way’, ‘path’, or ‘journey’. The term consistory that derives from latin word consistere, which means stand together (con means ‘together’ and ‘sistere’ means ‘to cause to stand’), has also similar meaning. Both concepts connotes togetherness and participation.

After the first consistory in the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV there was a criticism from the part of some cardinals that the consistory was ‘tightly managed’ and that key decisions had been set in advance. The criticism that College of Cardinals functioned more as a body that receives decisions from above than as a body that advises the Pope is not new. However, in the history of the Church there were many extraordinary consistories and papal consultations that allowed broad discussions at the presence of the Pope.

The recent consistory in June has partially addressed the procedural and collegial criticism. In a leaked letter to the cardinals, later confirmed in a published program, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re states that there will be a free dialogue with three-minute interventions at final session and it will be an opportunity that gives the cardinals to raise their own concerns rather than only react to present themes (National Catholic Register June 25, 2026). The very fact that Pope Leo XIV convened two extraordinary consistories in the same year, in January and June respectively, with only a six-month interval, indicates Pope’s decision to make the extraordinary consistory a key instrument of his governance. Already during the conclave, which elected him to Papacy, cardinals have requested him to restore consultative consistories. In the second consistory Pope Leo XIV shows his open mindedness to hear to the criticism to the first consistory.

In the opening address on 26th June Pope Leo XIV expresses his vision about the consistory: such meetings shall help us to learn more to work together in the service of the Church and to continue a dialogue that assists the Pope in serving the mission of the whole Church. These two are the most important responsibilities entrusted to the College of Cardinals, working ‘together’ and ‘assist’ the Pope. These emphasize the participative character and advising, assisting, character of consistory. The consistory that is divided into four sessions is rigorously timed and discussions take place in small groups as in the first consistory. Each session has also a brief time for open interventions. The major themes of Leo XIV’s pontificate are discussed with cardinals. Already in January the cardinals, who were interviewed, have appreciated Pope’s readiness to listen. The Pope prefers the voices of cardinals who are serving around the world to that of the curia officials.

A short survey on the structure and themes of the June-consistory helps us to understand its nature and role in the decision-making process. The theme of the first session is “In what kind of world are we called to proclaim the gospel” and this session started with a biblical meditation by His Eminence Cardinal Grzegorz Rys. The questions for sharing the following have a very concrete character: what sufferings, tensions, and questions are most strongly affecting the peoples and ecclesial communities entrusted to your care today, and what signs of hope, fidelity to the gospel and possible reconciliation should be brought to our common discernment.

Second Session with the subject “the culture of power and the civilization of love” initiated by the introduction of Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez. How do tensions, divisions, and conflicts affecting today’s world impact the life of our Churches and our peoples, what language, attitude, and practices can help foster reconciliation, coexistence and peace are discussed in this session. Cardinal Stephen Brislin gave an introduction to the third session with the title “building the good: the worksites of our time”. Questions to the discussion are what divisions in your local contexts make it more difficult to build the common good today, what expectations and questions arise from the people whom the Church is called to listen to, but perhaps does not yet hear sufficiently, and what support, guidance, or initiatives from the local Churches and the universal Church could more effectively strengthen efforts to build the common good. The fourth and final session has a very concrete and practical theme: path of synod implementation, which is introduced by Cardinal Mario Grech, based on the document Toward the 2027-2028 Synodal Assemblies: Stages, Criteria, and Tools for Preparation.

On the time of writing this article we are unaware of the result and influence of this consistory. The late Pope Francis has completely approved and signed the final document that was voted on and approved by the assembly, ordered its publication, and made it part of ordinary magisterium of the Successor of Peter according to CIC 892 (cf. accompanying note to the Final Document of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops).

Discussions or conclusions by synods, consistories and councils were indirectly incorporated in the magisterium of the Church. Even without knowing the future of this consistory one can assert Pope Leo XIV’s open-mindedness and readiness to listen to the council of cardinals. While maintaining the supreme authority of Roman Pontif, present the Pope wants to follow the way of dialogue and consultation rather than a sovereign way. Preserving the papal privileges the Pope conceives the consistory of cardinals as an expression of ‘walking together’ and lets cardinals to advise him.