Pope summons cardinals to help him govern the church

The Vatican said Pope Leo XIV had summoned world cardinals to two-day meetings to help him lead the church.

The assembly, as such meetings are called, will be held on January 7-8, immediately after the 2025 Holy Year, which Christianity celebrates every quarter century, ends on January 6.

Leo’s first few months as priest were spent fulfilling weekly Holy Year obligations, such as meeting with pilgrim groups and celebrating special Jubilee audiences and Masses.

Additionally, he spent much of his time completing important matters related to the pontificate of Pope Francis.

As a result, the January general assembly meeting will be the first time Leo will be able to look at his own agenda since his election as the first pastor in the United States on May 8.

It is significant that he invited all the cardinals of the world to Rome.

Francis had largely eschewed consistent tradition as a tool of governance.

Instead, he relied on a small group of eight or nine carefully selected cardinal advisors to help him govern and make important decisions.

The Vatican said in a statement on Saturday that Leo’s first council “will be aimed at promoting common understanding and offering support and advice to the Holy Father in fulfilling his high and solemn responsibility in the universal government of the Church.”

Other types of consistency include the formal installation of new cardinals.

However, new cardinals will not be determined at this meeting, which is purely for consultation.