The day after the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord - the Pope considers it very significant that it was on this date - Leo XIV has given the starting signal for his first Consistory extraordinary meeting with the cardinals. In the session, he laid the groundwork for what these two days of work are about, and what he intends: to strengthen and amplify the mission of the Church as described in the Constitution Lumen Gentium of the Second Vatican Council.
“I read the first paragraph in its entirety,” Leo XIV introduced: “Christ is the light of the peoples. Therefore this sacred Synod, gathered together in the Holy Spirit, ardently desires to enlighten all men, proclaiming the Gospel to every creature (cf. Mk 16:15) with the brightness of Christ, who shines on the face of the Church” (LG).
Urgent duty of the Church
This, evangelization, the proclamation of the Gospel to every creature, is the duty of the Church. And the Pope has put it this way. “And because the Church is in Christ as a sacrament, that is, a sign and instrument of intimate union with God and of the unity of the whole human race, she intends to present to her faithful and to the whole world with greater precision her nature and her universal mission, abounding in the teaching of the preceding councils.”.
The conditions of our time, he immediately pointed out, “make this duty of the Church all the more urgent, namely, that all people, who today are more closely united by many social, technical and cultural bonds, may also attain full unity in Christ” (Lumen gentium, 1).
The evangelizing mission of recent Popes
Next, Leo XIV detailed how "the pontificates of St. Paul VI and St. John Paul II can be interpreted globally from this conciliar perspective, which contemplates the mystery of the Church fully included in that of Christ and thus understands the evangelizing mission as an irradiation of the inexhaustible energy that emanates from the central event of salvation history”.
Benedict XVI and Francis: “attraction”.”
He then summarized that “Popes Benedict XVI and Francis summed up this vision in a single word: attraction”. Pope Benedict pointed out that “the force that presides over this movement of attraction is Agape, it is the Love of God who became incarnate in Jesus Christ and who in the Holy Spirit gives himself to the Church and sanctifies all her actions,” said Leo XIV.
Pope Leo's invitations: unity and love
In the course of his speech, the Pope seemed to require two conditions for the effectiveness of the mission: unity, as he has been reiterating since his speech just elected Pope on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, and the commandment of love.
“Unity attracts, division disperses.. It seems to me that this is also reflected in physics, both in the microcosm and in the macrocosm,” he said.
Therefore, “in order to be a truly missionary Church, that is, capable of bearing witness to the attractive power of Christ's charity, we must first and foremost to put his commandment into practice, The only one he gave us after washing the feet of his disciples: “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another”.
And he added the following words of Jesus: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:34-35).
Cardinals, “growing in our communion”.”
The Pope then referred to the variety of the College of Cardinals and the need to grow in communion: “We are a very varied group, enriched by multiple origins, cultures, ecclesial and social traditions, formative and academic trajectories, pastoral experiences and, naturally, personal characters and traits.
“We are called, above all, to get to know each other and to dialogue so that we can work together in the service of the Church. I hope that we can grow in our communion to offer a model of collegiality,” he invited.
4 themes: Mission of the Church, Praedicate Evangelium, Synod and Synodality, and Liturgy.
During these days we will have the opportunity to experience a communitarian reflection on four themes, as described by Pope Leo XIV, which have been spreading these days. Evangelii gaudium, or the mission of the Church in today's world; Praedicate Evangelium, that is, the service of the Holy See, especially to the particular Churches; Synod and synodality, instrument and style of collaboration; and liturgy, source and summit of Christian life.
Only two, for the moment
For reasons of time and in order to favor a more in-depth analysis, only two of them will be the subject of a specific exhibition, the Pope specified, which will take place this Thursday, the 8th.
The 21 groups created will contribute to the decisions to be made, but the groups that will present their reports will be the 9 groups coming from the local Churches. The rest will be consulted in Rome as they work in the Curia and live in Rome.
“I'm here to listen.”
“I am here to listen,” the Holy Father added. “As we learned during the two Assemblies of the Synod of Bishops of 2023 and 2024, the synodal dynamic involves listening par excellence,” and precisely “the path of synodality is the path that God expects of the Church of the third millennium» (Francis, Address on the 50th anniversary of the institution of the Synod of Bishops, 17 October 2015).
This day and a half that we will spend together will be a prefiguration of our future journey, he said. “We must not arrive at a text, but have a conversation that will help me in my service to the mission of the whole Church.”.
A key question to the cardinals
The Pope then posed a question to the cardinals: “Looking ahead to the next one or two years, what aspects and priorities could guide the action of the Holy Father and the Curia on this issue?”.
On this he will listen to them. “To listen to each other's mind, heart and spirit; to listen to each other; to express only the main point and very briefly, so that everyone can speak: this will be our way of proceeding. The ancient Roman sages used to say: Non multa sed multum”.
“And in the future, this way of listening to one another, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit and walking together, will continue to be of great help to the Petrine ministry entrusted to me,” he said.
The day of Thursday 8 begins with Holy Mass at 7:30 a.m. in St. Peter's Basilica.
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