Extraordinary Consistory (@Vatican Media)
Pope Leo: Another Consistory in June; We will hold one
every year
At the end of the second day of the Extraordinary
Consistory, Pope Leo XIV expressed his desire to continue along this path, “in
continuity” with what was requested in the pre-Conclave general congregations,
and confirmed the Ecclesial Assembly of October 2028. Cardinal Brislin of South
Africa, Cardinal David of the Philippines, and Cardinal Rueda Aparicio of
Colombia describe the morning and afternoon proceedings, noting there was a
sense of unity, even if not uniformity.
By Salvatore Cernuzio
The first has ended this evening, but the next appointment
is already set: two days in June, close to the Solemnity of Saints Peter and
Paul. A new extraordinary Consistory awaits Pope Leo XIV and the Cardinals from
all over the world in the Vatican.
It was the Holy Father himself who announced this second
summer meeting in his concluding address at the third and final session this
afternoon, which brought together 170 Cardinals, electors and non-electors.
The Pope—explaining that this two-day meeting is “in
continuity” with what was requested of the general congregations before the
Conclave—also expressed his wish to continue holding Consistories on an annual
basis, lasting three to four days. He had already anticipated this in
yesterday’s address, stating that this Consistory is a “prefiguration of our
future journey.”
He also confirmed the Ecclesial Assembly of October 2028
announced last March.
Thanks to those present and closeness to those absent
In addition to the announcements, Pope Leo XIV wished to
thank those present for their participation and support. He offered a
particular word of thanks to the more elderly Cardinals for the effort of
coming.
“Your witness is precious,” he said, as he likewise
expressed his closeness to the Cardinals throughout the world who were unable
to be in Rome these days, noting, “We are with you and close to you.”
A “non-technical synodality,” Pope Leo said that he
experienced over yesterday and today—a deep harmony and communion—made possible
by a methodology chosen to foster better mutual knowledge, given the diversity
of backgrounds and experiences of each. From this followed a reference to the
Second Vatican Council, the foundation of the Church’s path and renewal, and
also the clarification that the other two topics proposed and not voted on
yesterday by the assembly—the liturgy and Praedicate evangelium—are
closely connected to the Council and must not be forgotten.
Finally, both on the part of the Pope and of all the members
of the College of Cardinals, there was an attentive gaze toward the overall
situation of the world, which makes a response by the Church “all the more
urgent.” A Church that draws near to the local Churches suffering wars and
violence.
A thought for Venezuela
Along these lines, even though the themes of the Consistory
were quite different—synodality and mission in the light of Evangelii
gaudium, approved yesterday by a majority vote of the Cardinals—there was
nevertheless a particular thought, especially from Latin American Cardinals,
for the situation in Venezuela.
This was voiced by Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio,
Archbishop of Bogotá in Colombia, during an evening press conference which also
featured the voices of Cardinal Stephen Brislin, Archbishop of Johannesburg in
South Africa, and Cardinal Pablo David, Bishop of Kalookan in the Philippines.
The Colombian Cardinal recalled the Pope’s words at the
Angelus on 4 January, the day after the dramatic events, in which Pope Leo XIV
“expressed his profound concern for what is happening in Venezuela and
committed himself to encouraging dialogue and the search for consensus,
invoking peace, to build a peace that is at once unarmed and disarming, that
seeks to unite peoples in respect for human rights and sovereignty.”
“That Sunday message set the tone for my reflections during
these days,” Cardinal Rueda stated. It was not the official theme of the
Consistory, but it was “inevitable” that the members of the College of
Cardinals “be concerned about what is happening,” that they be “asking themselves
questions” about the direction being taken, about how the geopolitics of Latin
America are changing, and how the Church can accompany the population.
Venezuela is an issue that “we carry in our hearts, it grieves us all, and we
desire the best possible developments in the near future,” Cardinal Rueda said.
Living synodality as “companions on the journey”
The three Cardinal speakers then reported on the themes and
the general atmosphere that emerged during the proceedings, which began in the
morning and continued in the afternoon, punctuated also by moments of song and
prayer, with a lunch break in the atrium of the Paul VI Hall.
They explained that the Pope was present and gave each
participant the medal of his pontificate.
The language groups' focus, they relayed, was greatly
centered upon synodality, the need to live it as “companions on the journey,”
that it be reflected in the exercise of authority, in formation and in the work
of nuncios, that it be lived in the Curia with “greater internationalization,”
and then a rereading of Pope Francis’s exhortation Evangelii gaudium—a
text that has not “expired” with the previous pontificate but continues to
challenge dioceses, the Roman Curia, and the Pope himself.
There were twenty groups: eleven including non-elector
Cardinals, and nine including elector Cardinals—diocesan ordinaries and nuncios
still in service—explained the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo
Bruni.
“The Pope was taking notes, he was very attentive”
For his part, Cardinal Brislin described the experience as
“very enriching,” thanks to the different perspectives that made it possible to
deepen an understanding of the needs of the world—thus an opportunity to know
and to come to know one another. He said that the fact that there will be a new
meeting in June is a sign that the Holy Father has taken very seriously the
fact that we can help him in his role as Successor of Peter.
"Eight months after the Conclave the Pope wanted to
convene us to listen to us,” Cardinal Rueda echoed. This “strengthens us in the
mission of the Church.” Joking instead about jet lag (“I can’t believe I’m
still here; today we started very early at 7”) and about the beautiful setting
of the Consistory, Cardinal David first praised the format used for the
proceedings, then the conversation in the Spirit through which “everyone was
able to speak,” and he appreciated the fact that the Pope “listened more than
he spoke”: “He was taking notes, he was very attentive; the input he gave was
very enriching for all of us.”
The importance of getting to know one another
A journalist then asked what the truly new elements that
emerged from this Consistory might be, given that many of the themes listed
have already been extensively explored during the two sessions of the Synod on
Synodality.
In response, Cardinal Brislin explained that the novelty
should not be sought “only in the discussions” but rather in the very
“opportunity to get to know one another and to listen to one another.”
“This is important," he said, "because we come from
different parts of the world; some are new Cardinals, others have been
Cardinals for a long time.”
The Pope, added the Archbishop of Johannesburg, “wants to be
collegial, he wants to listen, he wants to draw on the experience and knowledge
of the Cardinals who come from different parts of the world, because this can
help him to guide the Church.” The profiles are “different,” but the work was
carried out “in a harmony that is not uniformity,” Cardinal Rueda concluded.
Laity and women
Still on the themes, journalists also asked whether the
question of the participation of the laity and the role of women in the Church
had in some way entered into the discussions.
On this point, Cardinal David said, “How can we not
recognize the role of women and their ministries in the Church?” “Certainly,”
the Filipino Cardinal stated, the question of women is “a constant concern,”
recalling the results—recently published—of the Commission for the Study of the
Female Diaconate. Cardinal David also made reference to “clericalism” and
relaunched the idea of the “priesthood” of the people drawn from the Second
Vatican Council.
"We speak of the Body of the Church: we have the Head
of the Church, but not only the Head; there is also a Body. People have the
power to participate in the life and mission of the Church.”
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