Pope Leo XIV plans to hold major meeting of cardinals in January Pope Leo XIV is planning to convene an extraordinary consistory of cardinals in early January, the theme of which is not yet known. In a brief communication sent to cardinals on Nov. 6 and obtained by the National Catholic Register, CNA\u2019s sister news partner, on Friday, the Vatican Secretariat of State said that \u201cHoly Father Leo XIV has in mind to convene an extraordinary consistory for the days of Jan. 7 and 8, 2026.\u201d \u201cIn due course, the dean of the College of Cardinals will send to Your Eminence the relevant letter with further details,\u201d the note continued, before ending: \u201cWith profound reverence, coordinating office of the Secretariat of State.\u201d When the Register asked Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni about the communication on Friday, he said the press office had not yet publicly \u201cconfirmed its existence\u201d and that he did not think an announcement of such an event would be made \u201cthat far ahead.\u201d As well as the topic remaining unknown, it is also not yet certain if all cardinals have been notified of the planned gathering. Extraordinary consistories are usually special gatherings of all cardinals, convened by the pope to discuss matters of \u201cparticular needs of the Church\u201d or highly important issues requiring broad consultation among the world\u2019s cardinals. News of the meeting comes after cardinals at this year\u2019s conclave complained about a lack of meetings and collegiality under Pope Francis. Held behind closed doors, the last extraordinary consistory at the Vatican took place on Aug. 29-30, 2022, under Pope Francis. Its purpose was to bring all the cardinals together to discuss the implementation and meaning of the new apostolic constitution for the Roman Curia, titled Praedicate Evangelium. The meeting also focused on the reforms of Church governance and the Roman Curia. During that consistory, cardinals received an official report on the curial reform and then broke into language groups to debate the practical consequences and underlying principles of the new constitution before reuniting for a concluding summary discussion. The format was a departure from previous consistories, modeled instead on synodality. Pope Francis also used the opportunity to hold a consistory of new cardinals at the same time, although it is unlikely that will be Pope Leo\u2019s intention, as the College of Cardinals already has 128 cardinal-electors, well over the advised limit of 120. Prior to that extraordinary consistory, a more famous one was held on Feb. 20-21, 2014, also under Pope Francis. That gathering brought together all the cardinals to reflect on the theme of the family and was intended to provide guidance and theological foundations for a Synod on the Family, which was held later in 2014 and again in 2015. That extraordinary consistory notably featured a controversial address by Cardinal Walter Kasper in which the German theologian launched what became known as the \u201cKasper Proposal\u201d that would open the door to a \u201cpastoral solution\u201d for some civilly remarried divorcees to be able to receive holy Communion. The proposal, which attracted considerable criticism and controversy, significantly influenced the synod proceedings, and a form of the Kasper Proposal was included in Pope Francis\u2019 2016 postsynodal apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia. A number of cardinals rose to criticize Kasper\u2019s intervention, according to reports. That was the only extraordinary consistory of the College of Cardinals under Francis at which members were permitted to speak freely on any topic they wished. At subsequent such consistories, in February 2015and the later one in August 2022, interventions were limited to certain subjects. Prior to Francis, Pope John Paul II convened six extraordinary consistories, three of which discussed issues pertaining to curial reform and the Holy See\u2019s financial situation. The other three gatherings covered present-day threats to life, the proclamation of Christ as sole savior, and the threat of sects (1991); preparation for the 2000 Jubilee (1994); and the Church\u2019s prospects in the third millennium in light of Novo Millennio Ineunte (2001), John Paul II\u2019s apostolic letter outlining the Church\u2019s priorities for the millennium. Benedict XVI held no formal extraordinary consistories during his pontificate, instead choosing to hold all-day meetings the day before consistories of new cardinals. This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA\u2019s sister news partner, and has been adapted by CNA. Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. 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