Overview
- Pope Leo XIV began a weekly series dedicated to rereading the Second Vatican Council’s original documents, calling the council’s magisterium the Church’s guiding star.
- He urged Catholics to study primary texts rather than rely on hearsay, noting the generation that participated in Vatican II has largely passed.
- The consistory runs Jan. 7–8 with discussions reported to include Francis-era priorities such as the 2022 Vatican bureaucracy reform, the mission framework for his pontificate, synodality, and the liturgy.
- Vatican officials said the gathering aims at common discernment and wider advice to the pope, signaling a shift from reliance on a small advisory group to broader consultation of the College of Cardinals.
- An agenda of private audiences listed Cardinal Joseph Zen, a longtime critic of Francis, as the cardinals convened to advise Leo on next steps.