Why the cardinals ‘felt like a college again’ after consistory

Key Points:

• Pope Leo XIV’s second extraordinary consistory concluded on June 29 with a Mass for Saints Peter and Paul, receiving broadly positive feedback from cardinals, especially regarding his intent to hold regular consultative meetings with the College of Cardinals.
• Many cardinals appreciated the renewed sense of collegiality and consultation under Pope Leo XIV, contrasting with the limited engagement during Pope Francis’s pontificate, and expressed hope for future annual multi-day consistories.
• There remains a division among cardinals over the consistory’s methodology: smaller group discussions are favored by those appointed by Francis for their depth, while cardinals appointed by Benedict XVI and John Paul II prefer more plenary sessions to hear all voices.
• Some cardinals expressed mixed feelings about the consistory’s topics, particularly the discussion on the doctrine of just war and synodality, with calls for clearer focus on evangelization, catechesis, and liturgical issues in future meetings.
• Several cardinals emphasized the need to address the crisis of faith and human dignity, highlighting the importance of family and formation in faith, and suggested that future consistories continue exploring themes from the encyclical Magnifica humanitas and the Church’s mission of evangelization.