Pope Leo XIV inaugurated an Extraordinary Consistory on June 26, 2026, bringing together around 130 cardinals from across the world for two days of discussions on key challenges facing the Church. The gathering opened with Mass, where the Holy Father called for unity of faith, peace, and obedience to Christ as the living Word.In his homily, the Pope told the cardinals that the fruit of the consistory depends on their union with Christ. “While he calls us to follow him, he himself sends us into the world as successors of the apostles.
Proclaiming the Gospel, celebrating the sacraments, and dedicating ourselves to the Lord’s flock become a reality and bear fruit to the extent that we believe in him, the Good Shepherd,” he said. He urged prayer for peace, noting that faith gives life to the Church and is “never taken for granted.”Addressing global conflicts, Pope Leo XIV stressed that “war is never worthy of man, and it will never be blessed by God, because the Creator has endowed us with intelligence and will to resolve conflicts as human beings and not as animals, even when equipped with hyper-technological weapons.” He said the unity of the human family is “an ethical principle” and that the Church “never takes sides: it is for everyone, and to each person it offers the same message of conversion and salvation.”The Pope spoke of “concord in obedience,” describing it as “listening that recognizes the gift of the Word, made flesh for us.” He said the Holy Spirit guides the Church by pointing out pastoral problems and opportunities, purifying intentions, and correcting what strays from the common path. “When the ideologies of the world wither, the Holy Spirit makes fraternal understanding, charity and missionary zeal flourish in the Church,” he added.
Calling the cardinals to embrace collegiality and synodality, the Pope clarified his view of papal authority: “Any help you can offer me in the exercise of the Petrine ministry finds in me someone who asks, not someone who commands. The authority of the primacy, in fact, belongs to the one who listens and only for that reason guides, to the one who learns and only for that reason teaches, always following the only Master.”At the end of Mass, during his opening address to the Consistory, Pope Leo XIV reiterated that communion “is never an achievement acquired once and for all: it remains a daily conversion, which takes shape in prayer and through concrete attitudes, relationships of trust and the willingness to listen to one another.” He asked the cardinals to avoid particular interests and to discern how to better serve the Church’s mission in every context.
The Pope said he wanted to hear the cardinals’ interpretations of his recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and outlined four sessions for the consistory: human dignity, the impact of artificial intelligence, the promotion of peace, and the application of the synodal process. “How can we help our Churches today to proclaim the Gospel with greater fidelity, freedom and credibility?” he asked.Closing his remarks, Pope Leo XIV was direct about his need for their help: “The ministry the Lord has entrusted to me cannot be lived in isolation. I need your experience, your pastoral wisdom, and your knowledge of the Churches and the peoples entrusted to you. I am counting on you to help me discern what the Spirit is saying to the Church today. I need your support: strong, explicit, and public. I need to feel supported by you as by brothers.” He asked for “freedom, frankness, and loyalty,” adding that “sincere advice is always an act of communion.”The Pope thanked the cardinals for “their availability, their inner freedom and their love for the Church.”