January consistory, a sign of a “new style of governance”

“It’s the mark of a new style of governance that responds to a desire expressed during the conclave,” suggests a Vatican source.

The National Catholic Register reported on November 7 that the College of Cardinals had been informed of the upcoming extraordinary consistory. This type of meeting, called by the pope, brings together all the cardinals — currently 245 — behind closed doors to discuss important issues for the Church. According to our information, the cardinals do not yet know the nature of the issues that will be addressed.

During the consistory, it’s not out of the question that the new pope could create new cardinals. "It's entirely possible. Some in the Curia could receive their red biretta," says another Vatican source.

Archbishop Filippo Iannone, recently appointed head of the Dicastery for Bishops, is among those who could be created cardinals. The prefect of this strategic department of the Vatican administration is traditionally granted this distinction.

But Pope Leo could also choose to wait before making new appointments. As of January 7, the College of Cardinals is expected to have 124 cardinal electors under the age of 80. This figure remains above the theoretical ceiling of 120 members set by Paul VI, although that number is regularly exceeded.

In any case, the fact that Pope Leo XIV is holding this consistory eight months after his election signals his desire to collaborate with the College that chose him.

Pope Francis notably convened a small group of cardinals -- representing all the globe -- to advise him. He established it in September 2013, some six months after his election. The Council of Cardinals was created to assist the Pope in the governance of the universal Church and was known initially as the C9, in reference to the number of cardinals on the council, though that number at times varied.

Pope Francis in 2014 convened an extraordinary consistory of the whole College of Cardinals on the theme of the family, in view of the synod that was to follow. In August 2022, he gathered all the cardinals to discuss the new constitution “Praedicate Evangelium” reforming the Roman Curia. But extraordinary consistories were not a regular part of his pontificate.

After the death of the Argentine pope, during the general congregations that preceded the conclave, several cardinals argued that the future pope should rely more on the College of Cardinals to govern. “This invitation is a sign that the pope wants to implement greater collegiality along with greater synodality,” said a cardinal contacted by I.MEDIA, who had received a notification from the Holy See.

Two days after his election, Leo XIV gathered the cardinals behind closed doors to talk to them about what he had learned from the general congregations. He also asked them to form small groups to take a time of silence and reflection in order to report back to him with other insights.

“He revealed his working method to us,” Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, Archbishop of Algiers, told us this summer.

“Collegiality is an attitude that characterizes Leo XIV,” says a keen observer of Vatican life, who believes that Pope Francis worked more alone. “It's the hallmark of a new style of governance that responds to a desire expressed during the conclave,” he confirms.

“Pope Leo XIV consults widely. He doesn't hesitate to seek the opinions of various sources before making a decision,” says a Vatican employee.

Originally, cardinals were responsible for a parish in Rome. Most cardinals now live outside the Eternal City and are present on every continent. However, they are symbolically attached to a Roman parish known as a “titular” parish.

The Latin term cardinalis, derived from cardo, means “pivot.” Cardinals are thus the pope's closest — or “pivotal” — collaborators, whom he “creates” freely. The Code of Canon Law explains that they “assist the Roman Pontiff either collegially when they are convoked to deal with questions of major importance, or individually when they help the Roman Pontiff through the various offices they perform, especially in the daily care of the universal Church” (Can. 349).