Pope Leo XIV summons cardinals to give their opinion, presenting his papacy as a joint effort after the Francis years

Rome — Pope Leo XIV summoned Catholic cardinals from around the world to the Vatican for a meeting called an “extraordinary consistory” to seek their views on the Catholic Church’s priorities for the years to come.

“I’m here to listen,” Leo, a Chicago native and America’s first pope, said in his opening remarks Wednesday. “This day and a half together will show the way forward.”

Of the 245 members of the College of Cardinals, 170 of the so-called “princes of the Church” were present in Vatican City to participate in the gathering.

Initially, Leo asked the cardinals to select two of four possible topics for detailed discussions: the missionary nature of the Church, continued reforms of the Vatican bureaucracy, synodality and the liturgy.

A majority chose to prioritize missionary and synodal themes over liturgy or Vatican reforms, according to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni. This means that the consistory will likely focus on how to make the Church more missional and more responsive to the needs of the faithful.

Importantly, the cardinals chose not to discuss liturgy, which would likely have faced divisions within the Church over the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass, which became a flashpoint after Pope Francis significantly restricted its use.

The Latin Mass – also known as the Tridentine Mass – is controversial because it represents a form of Catholic worship that some say is out of touch with modern sensibilities. It is celebrated entirely in Latin, with the priest facing the altar and the faithful receiving communion on the tongue on their knees. Critics argue that it can seem inaccessible and limits parishioner participation, while supporters argue that it is a sacred preservation of tradition.

Just by convening the consistory, Pope Leo underscored his commitment to involving the entire College of Cardinals in the governance of the Catholic Church, which has some 1.4 billion faithful worldwide according to the Vatican.

By contrast, during his 12-year pontificate, Pope Francis has held only one extraordinary consistory, relying primarily on a small group of hand-picked advisers to help him chart the Church’s path — a practice that has left some cardinals feeling sidelined.

Since his election to the papal conclave in Maythe mandate of the American pontiff has been largely shaped by the commitments inherited from Francis, notably the major events of the Holy Year 2025.

By convening the consistory immediately after these events of the Holy Year, Leo appears to signal the unofficial launch of his own pontificate and chart a course aligned with his priorities.

Leo signaled Wednesday that his papacy would be progressive, calling the Second Vatican Council — a historic gathering in the 1960s known as Vatican II and seen as an important step in modernizing the Catholic Church — “the guiding star” of the church’s journey under his leadership.

Among other things, Vatican II allowed Mass to be celebrated in local languages, not just traditional Latin. It also introduced simpler rites and encouraged greater participation of lay people active in congregations, and consolidated better relations between Catholics, Jews and people of other faiths, and fostered the Church’s engagement with the modern world.