According to the National Catholic Register, Pope Leo XIV plans to convene an extraordinary consistory of cardinals on January 7 and 8, 2026, although the topic of the meeting has not yet been revealed. The news was published by journalist Edward Pentin, who had access to an internal communication sent to the cardinals on November 6 by the Vatican’s Secretariat of State.
A discreet summons from the Secretariat of State
The message, signed by the coordinating office of the Secretariat of State, states that “the Holy Father Leo XIV has in mind to convene an Extraordinary Consistory for January 7 and 8, 2026”, and adds that “in due time, the Dean of the College of Cardinals will send the corresponding letter with more details.”
Consulted by the Register, the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, stated that the Vatican “has not officially confirmed the existence of such communication” and that he did not expect “an announcement to be made so far in advance” about an event of that kind.
For now, it is not known if all the cardinals have received the notification nor what the central theme of the meeting will be, which will be the first of its kind under the pontificate of Leo XIV.
What is an extraordinary consistory
Extraordinary consistories are special meetings of the College of Cardinals convened by the Pope to discuss issues of particular need for the Church or matters of great relevance that require consultation from the body of cardinals as a whole.
The last one of this type was held on August 29 and 30, 2022, under the pontificate of Francis, with the aim of analyzing the implementation of the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium and the reforms of the Roman Curia. That meeting, behind closed doors, was seen as an exercise in collegiality after a long period without such gatherings.
Historical and ecclesial context
The news of this new consistory comes after various cardinals expressed their concern about the lack of meetings and collegial spirit during the last years of the previous pontificate. In that context, Leo XIV’s decision seeks to restore the practice of broad dialogue within the College of Cardinals, following the tradition of pontiffs like St. John Paul II, who convened six extraordinary consistories during his pontificate.
Unlike some past meetings, where consistories were combined with the creation of new cardinals, it is unlikely that Leo XIV has that intention, as the current number of electors—128—exceeds the recommended limit of 120.
The most remembered extraordinary consistory of the 21st century was the one held in February 2014, when the then Cardinal Walter Kasper delivered a lecture on divorced and remarried Catholics, giving rise to the controversial “Kasper proposal” that influenced the Synod on the Family and the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia.
Read also: The Pope applauds Kasper’s speech: «This is called doing theology on one’s knees»
The January meeting will therefore be a key opportunity to observe the style of governance and the doctrinal orientation of the new pontificate, especially after the first months of his ministry.