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Report from Day 1 of the Consistory: During the opening session, Pope Leo XIV and the College of Cardinals examined the wounds of today’s world The College of Cardinals opened the Extraordinary Consistory by reflecting on the wounds of the modern world, with Pope Leo XIV urging the Church’s senior prelates to discern how to proclaim the Gospel at a time marked by war, loneliness, secularisation and growing social fragmentation. Following Mass in St Peter’s Basilica on the morning of 26 June, 178 cardinals gathered in the Paul VI Hall for the first working session of the two-day meeting. After the singing of the Veni Creator , Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio opened proceedings before Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, welcomed the assembly. Pope Leo XIV then delivered an introductory address before Cardinal Rueda Aparicio introduced the day’s theme, “In What World Are We Called to Proclaim the Gospel?”, reminding the cardinals of the Holy Father’s request for their assistance and assuring him of “their support, with faith, joy, and availability”. The principal reflection was delivered by Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś of Łódź, who framed the discussions around Christ’s parable of the Good Samaritan. Rather than approaching the modern world through political or sociological analysis, the Polish cardinal argued that the Church should begin with the individual person. “The old story of the Samaritan,” he said, recalling St Paul VI’s closing address to the Second Vatican Council, should remain the Church’s exemplum atque norma , its “model” and “paradigm”, for understanding the contemporary world. “The old story of the Samaritan does not speak about ‘the world’; its subject is a single person – ‘a certain man’,” Cardinal Ryś said. “Instead of talking about an abstract and sociological concept of ‘the world’, let us think about concrete MAN and WOMAN,” because each person is both a “co-creator of the world” and “a primary and fundamental way for the Church”. Reflecting on the wounded traveller, Cardinal Ryś said modern humanity increasingly resembles the victim left on the roadside. “Violence has nearly become a name of today’s world,” he observed, pointing to “32 wars” currently taking place while noting that children and young people frequently encounter “drastic violence at school”. Such violence, he warned, “starts with aggressive language, and it ends with murder and suicide”. The traveller’s robbery, he continued, was also symbolic of modern society. Having been stripped of everything, the man is deprived not only of his possessions but also of his dignity. Nakedness, the cardinal noted, was a biblical sign of slavery, adding that contemporary forms of slavery range from the exploitation of migrants to addictions “caused by drugs, pornography, all kinds of addictions, and even modern technologies”. He described today’s men and women as increasingly “beaten and injured”, explaining that humanity is now in need of “a field hospital”. While some wounds are visible, he said, others remain “deeply hidden and never exposed, yet determine a person’s behaviour and actions”, leaving countless people scarred physically, psychologically and spiritually. Cardinal Ryś devoted particular attention to loneliness, describing the Gospel’s image of the traveller abandoned by passers-by as one of the defining characteristics of contemporary life. The wounded man, he said, is “left behind”, forced to face his suffering alone while others deliberately pass him by. “This is another sort of violence that today’s men and women face: indifference,” he said, recalling Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe’s description of modern society as suffering a “tsunami of loneliness”. Despite possessing “the best, most sophisticated means of communication”, modern men and women remain relictus – abandoned. The cardinal also reflected on the traveller being “half-dead”, asking, “How many people today live on such an edge or margin of life?” He suggested the root of many contemporary problems lies in humanity’s movement away from God, observing that the wounded traveller was descending “from Jerusalem to Jericho”, away from the Temple. That image, he argued, reflects societies that have become “secularised, seeking greatness in freedom from religion”, or which misuse religion “to promote ideas and actions absolutely foreign to it”. Turning to the Samaritan himself, Cardinal Ryś argued that Christians should not only seek to teach the modern world but also be willing to learn from it. Although regarded as “a foreigner, an alien, even an enemy”, the Samaritan becomes Christ’s example of authentic charity. “What does today’s Samaritan teach?” the cardinal asked. His first answer was simple: “compassion.” Referring to the Latin phrase misericordia motus , he said mercy should not become the object of rivalry between the Church and the world. “There are so many charitable activities and works in the world we can admire and follow, or simply take part in,” he said. “Instead of stupid jealousy and pretence, it is much better to learn and to encounter. Mercy and charity may be a meeting place of the Church and the world, the place of true dialogue and healing unity.” Following a prolonged period of silent prayer, the cardinals divided into working groups before returning to the Paul VI Hall for reports from the secretaries of the various groups. According to the Holy See Press Office, the discussions displayed remarkable agreement across the College of Cardinals. Summarising the discussions, the Press Office said: “All groups emphasised in deeply conscious terms the suffering experienced by men and women in this time of profound social transformation.” Among the principal concerns raised were “growing polarisation within societies and communities”, which the cardinals said generates “political tensions and violence” while being fuelled by “social divisions, the use of false information, and widespread communication that fails to foster understanding”. The reports warned that such polarisation “hinders governance and coexistence” and contributes to increasing violence at every level of society. Several groups also raised “a lack of respect for religious and ethnic minorities” that “undermines religious freedom and leads to hostility, or even violence, particularly against the Church”. Some also referred specifically to “the rise of anti-Semitism”. The cardinals repeatedly returned to the weakening of family life and growing individualism. According to the Press Office summary, many linked “the crisis of the family, especially loneliness, among both the elderly and the young” to “the rise in suicides and drug use”. Discussions also focused extensively on young people facing economic uncertainty, unemployment and financial instability. Other reports highlighted “a general sense of distrust, fatalism, and impotence towards institutions, democracy, and the future”, together with declining birth rates, criminal gangs, juvenile delinquency and drug trafficking. Several groups also pointed to “the role of secularism, the loss of transcendent and spiritual values, and the meaning of life”, warning that “the spreading sense of weariness and the absence of a perspective of truth mark the inability to recognise otherness and to build relationships”. Migration likewise featured prominently. The cardinals agreed on “the need to address the phenomenon of migration in a humane and Christian manner”, recognising that migration “is changing the face of peoples, societies, and communities”, while making “effective integration policies” increasingly urgent. Despite the sombre diagnosis, the reports also identified numerous signs of hope. According to the Holy See, every group stressed “the need for the Church to show herself as a mother, a welcoming place”, even if this requires “restructuring parishes”, while remaining capable of “acknowledging her own mistakes and making suffering a moment of growth”. The summary added that “a strong awareness of the responsibility entrusted to the Church in the current historical moment also emerged”. While “many institutions are experiencing a crisis of credibility”, the cardinals believed “the Church feels called to speak with authority for the dignity of the person, for peace, reconciliation, and the common good”. Pope Leo returned for the closing plenary session before thanking the cardinals for their participation. Recalling Cardinal Ryś’s meditation, the Holy Father reflected on “the image of the victim, almost dead”, adding: “If we are not blind, it is true that there is so much suffering.” Loneliness and suffering, he said, are products of contemporary society, and the Church’s response is to invite people into communion “not only by opening churches and celebrating the sacraments, but by creating opportunities and experiences of encounter”. The format of the Extraordinary Consistory itself reflects the increasingly synodal style that has become established in Vatican consultation. As in January’s consistory, the cardinals were divided into small working groups led by presidents and secretaries before moving through three stages consisting of personal interventions, shared listening, and the drafting of a common report. Those reports were then presented to the wider assembly before participants were invited to make brief interventions or submit written observations. The methodology mirrors the process employed during the Synod on Synodality and indicates that the consultative approach developed under the previous pontificate continues to shape the work of the College of Cardinals under Pope Leo XIV. Photo credit: Eros R. Santana/ACFI/EUROPA PRESS

Read Pope Leo XIV’s homily to the Cardinals at the opening Mass of the Extraordinary Consistory in full At 7:30 this morning, in Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Holy Father Leo XIV presided over Holy Mass with the Cardinals gathered in the Extraordinary Consistory from 26 to 27 June 2026. AdVaticanum gives the English translation to the Homily given today: Dearest brothers, We have gathered around the altar of the Lord, near the tomb of Saint Peter, to begin the Consistory. We come to celebrate this Eucharist from every part of the world: together with our lives, we therefore offer to God the communities and peoples we carry in our hearts, as well as our pastoral projects and experiences, both joyful and challenging. This variety of affections and thoughts now concentrates: that is, it finds that luminous center, which is Christ. He himself, in person, addresses us, saying: “I am the true vine” (Jn 15:1). Through Jesus, grace and truth flow into our lives (cf. Jn 1:17), renewing us intimately: these divine gifts are also the fertile sap of the Consistory we inaugurate today. It is the Gospel itself that prepares the conditions for it to be fruitful: “Abide in me, and I in you” (Jn 15:4). On the one hand, the Master warns us that “without me you can do nothing” (v. 5), on the other, he wants his disciples to bear “much fruit” (v. 8). Yes, much: the grace of God does not produce stunted growth in those who welcome it, but rather a thriving development. The eternal Word, in fact, became man so that all “may have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). Begun in faith, this life is even strengthened by the test of pruning, because it is cultivated by the Father’s care. As we ask God to grant us strength and wisdom, it is significant that our Consistory takes place on the eve of the solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Let us pause together in this memory, which recalls the pillars of the Catholic and Roman Church, the two missionary martyrs whose preaching became so integral to their lives that it became part of Sacred Scripture. Listening today to St. Paul’s words to the Corinthians, we can note their happy consonance with those of the Gospel. The different charisms, ministries, and ecclesial activities are like branches of the one vine, that is, of the one Lord (cf. 1 Cor 12:4–6) who infuses the Holy Spirit into his Church. This organic unity corresponds to the criterion that makes all those ecclesial services good and enjoyable: the criterion of the common good (cf. v. 7). Dearest ones, from the Word of God that we have heard, I would like to draw some indications for our discernment in these days. First, the example of Saints Peter and Paul encourages us to share true freedom in faith. Indeed, it is precisely our relationship with the Lord Jesus that frees us from sin and fear: 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 is accomplished and bears fruit to the extent of our belief in him, the Good Shepherd. Faith is that virtue, never to be taken for granted, that gives life to the Church, because it corresponds to the grace that nourishes the branches of the one vine. The living Church is the Church that believes, through the gift of the Holy Spirit poured into our hearts: this Church bears much fruit. Just as divine grace precedes human freedom, so the Church’s faith precedes ours and demands to be witnessed to with ardour. This mission has Christ as its beginning and end: in the words of the psalmist, “Proclaim his salvation day after day; declare his glory among the nations” (Ps 96:2–3). Second, we ask for the gift of peace in unity. While we invite all peoples to faith, in which we are truly free, international tensions and conflicts gravely wound the human family. However, initiatives and experiences are not lacking; indeed, they are multiplying in the Church and throughout the world that call for respect for human dignity, justice, law, and simply for humanity. This is a reason for hope, because it attests to the beauty of the work of God, who created us in his image and likeness, as a sign of his glory in the world. When this sign is wounded, we are all wounded. When it is corrupted, we all suffer. When it is killed, we all feel torn apart. Therefore, war is never worthy of man, and is never blessed by God, because the Creator has endowed us with the intelligence and will to resolve conflicts as human beings and not as beasts, perhaps equipped with hyper-technological weapons. The unity of the human family precedes individual peoples and states. This is not just a biological fact: it is an ethical principle. Peace is a duty of justice because we are one human family, a magnificent humanitas that finds in Christ its Head and Redeemer. Reflecting on the Encyclical I promulgated on May 15, we must therefore continue on the path traced by Saint Paul VI: when he “introduced the expression ‘civilization of love,’ the world was marked by the Cold War, the arms race, and serious economic imbalances. In that context, the Church pointed to an alternative path to the ideological opposition between systems, imagining a social order in which justice and charity are intertwined” (Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas, 186. Cf. Saint Paul VI, Regina Caeli, May 17, 1970). This is how Christian witness becomes the prophecy of a new world, evangelization and service, a cultural and social project that integrally promotes human development. While proclaiming the Gospel, amid joys and persecutions, the Church is never partisan: she is for everyone, and to each she addresses the same word of conversion and salvation. Third, today and always, let us enjoy harmony in obedience, that is, in the listening that recognizes the gift of the Word, made flesh for us. Through this exercise, the Holy Spirit guides us, himself pointing out pastoral problems and opportunities, purifying intentions and correcting what deviates from the common path. The implementation of the Synod, to which we are committed, invites everyone to proceed in the unity of faith, in the promotion of peace, in obedience to the living Word, who is Jesus. In this light, “the enormous and rapid cultural changes demand that we constantly seek to express the truths of all time in a language that allows us to recognize their enduring newness” (Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 41). The one Word, made man, is indeed expressed in all languages: the dead and risen Christ is the true vine, who bears fruit through all the cultures that Christians transform from within. Thus, while the ideologies of the world wither, the Holy Spirit makes fraternal understanding, charity, and missionary zeal flourish in the Church. Working together, our collegiality epitomizes the synodality in which all the baptized participate, in the unity of the People of God. Synodality and collegiality are, in fact, forms of Christian fraternity, which binds us as baptized persons and as bishops. Therefore, the help you can give me in the exercise of the Petrine ministry finds in me the one who asks, not the one who commands. The authority of the primacy, in fact, belongs to one who listens and only therefore leads, to one who learns and only therefore teaches, always following the one Master. May the intercession of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul accompany us on this exciting journey.

The Vatican has released a collection of previously unpublished homilies preached by Pope Benedict XVI during private Masses as pope and pope emeritus The Vatican has published an English edition of a collection of previously unpublished homilies by Pope Benedict XVI just days before the 75th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. The volume, The Lord Holds Us by the Hand , gathers homilies delivered during private Masses celebrated by Benedict between 2005 and 2017, both during his pontificate and after his resignation from the papacy. Published by the Vatican Publishing House, LEV, the book makes available to English-speaking readers for the first time a series of reflections preached during the liturgical seasons of Advent, Lent and Easter in the chapel of the Apostolic Palace and later at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, where Benedict lived as pope emeritus. The publication comes ahead of 29 June, which marks the 75th anniversary of Joseph Ratzinger’s ordination as a priest in 1951, a milestone in a ministry that would eventually see the Bavarian theologian become prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, pope and, following his historic resignation in 2013, pope emeritus. According to Vatican News, the collection was first published in Italian in 2025 under the title Il Signore ci tiene per mano . The English edition has been edited by Riccardo Bollati, Luca Caruso and Fr Federico Lombardi SJ, president of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation. The volume includes a preface by Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Benedict’s former personal secretary, and an introduction by Fr Lombardi. The homilies were preached during Masses attended by members of the papal household and invited guests. Some were delivered while Benedict occupied the Chair of St Peter, while others came after he withdrew from public life following his resignation and took up residence at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican Gardens. Although delivered in private settings, the texts revisit themes that ran throughout Benedict’s theological and pastoral work. Vatican News said they show his ability to draw from Sacred Scripture “light for faith, prayer, and daily Christian life”. The collection also highlights the central place of Christ in Benedict’s thought. Throughout the homilies he returns to the theme of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the conviction that the Christian life is sustained by God’s presence and mercy. Vatican News said the title itself points to the reality that “the Christian life is not a solitary path, but a journey guided by the presence and mercy of God”. The publication offers readers a further glimpse into Benedict’s life after his resignation, when he largely disappeared from public view while continuing a quiet routine of prayer, study and the celebration of Mass within the Vatican. Though he rarely intervened publicly during those years, the homilies show that he continued to reflect on Scripture and the liturgical life of the Church until advancing age gradually curtailed his activities. Pope Benedict died on 31 December 2022 at the age of 95, almost a decade after becoming the first pope in nearly 600 years to resign from office. Since his death, interest in his theological legacy has remained strong, with publishers and foundations continuing to make previously unpublished material from his long ecclesiastical career available. The release of The Lord Holds Us by the Hand forms part of that wider effort. Vatican News reported that a second volume containing Benedict’s unpublished homilies from Ordinary Time is expected to follow. To mark the 75th anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s ordination to the priesthood on 29 June, AdVaticanum has published a special nine-day series featuring some of the most significant homilies, addresses and reflections from across his public ministry. Readers can follow the commemorative series throughout the novena period in this publication. Image credit: WDKrauseDerivate work: Художник992 (talk) – This file was derived from: Benedicto XVI, 2011.jpg:, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=191776416

Supporters of Germany’s Synodal Way have vowed to keep pressing for lay people to preach the homily during Mass after the Vatican again rejected the proposal German supporters of the Synodal Way have vowed to continue pressing for lay people to preach the homily during Mass despite a fresh Vatican rejection of the proposal. The latest refusal marks the second time Rome has formally rejected the initiative since it was first approved by participants in the Synodal Way in 2023, with leading lay organisations now urging the German bishops not to abandon the issue. Among the most outspoken responses came from the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), whose president, Irme Stetter-Karp, said that the latest intervention from Rome should not be viewed as the end of the matter. Although she noted that the ZdK had “not been involved” in the bishops’ most recent motion, she pointed to the broad support received by the Synodal Way text “Proclamation of the Gospel by Lay People in Word and Sacrament”, which was approved in March 2023 with the backing of bishops and lay delegates. “We therefore expect the German bishops to reaffirm their substantive position on this matter to Rome, strengthen their arguments, and under no circumstances interpret Cardinal Roche’s letter as discouraging,” Stetter-Karp said. Her remarks were echoed by other organisations associated with the reform movement in Germany. The Catholic Women’s Association of Germany (kfd), one of the country’s largest Catholic women’s organisations, described the Vatican’s decision as evidence of continuing inequalities within the Church. Ruth Fehlker, spiritual director of the kfd national association, said the response from Rome represented “further evidence of the lack of equality for women in the Catholic Church”. “As long as women remain excluded from key positions despite their competence, their vocation, and their commitment, the Church will continue to lose credibility,” she said. Fehlker argued that the decision exposed what she described as a disconnect between local pastoral realities and directives issued by the Holy See. “This decision once again demonstrates the vast gap between the pastoral realities of many local churches and the directives from Rome,” she said. “The question is no longer whether women are capable of preaching. The real question is why those in charge in Rome continue to ignore the charisms and vocations of both women and men.” The reform group Wir sind Kirche (“We Are Church”) also criticised the decision, describing it as “out of touch with reality” and argued that an ageing clergy and declining vocations were creating difficulties for pastoral ministry across many German parishes. The criticism comes after the publication of a letter from the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments rejecting a request from the German Bishops’ Conference to permit lay people to preach the homily during Mass in exceptional circumstances. In the letter, dated 17 June and made public on 23 June, the Vatican department informed Bishop Heiner Wilmer SCJ, president of the German Bishops’ Conference, that it was “not possible to grant the indult requested”. The bishops had sought permission for “a duly commissioned lay member of the faithful to preach in place of the homily during the celebration of the Eucharist”. While acknowledging the pastoral concerns behind the proposal, the dicastery stated that “the current discipline cannot be dispensed from by means of an indult”. It added that “the reservation of the homily to a priest or deacon is not a merely disciplinary norm but derives from the very nature of the liturgy”. The Vatican further explained that the homily “forms an integral part of the Liturgy of the Word”, is “intrinsically linked to the proclamation of the Gospel”, and “constitutes an exercise of the munus docendi entrusted to ordained ministers through the Sacrament of Holy Orders”. According to the dicastery, “the proclamation of the Word within the liturgical celebration is inseparable from the mission received sacramentally and from the unity that binds together Word and Sacrament in the Eucharistic celebration”. The letter also rejected suggestions that practical pastoral circumstances could justify an exception to the Church’s universal discipline. Instead, the Vatican emphasised the importance of improving the quality of preaching through the continuing formation of priests and deacons. It said ongoing formation should help ensure the “pastoral and spiritual effectiveness” of homilies, a responsibility entrusted to diocesan bishops. At the same time, the dicastery stressed that the Church already provides numerous opportunities for lay Catholics to proclaim the Gospel outside the homily and outside the celebration of Mass. “The Church’s current discipline already provides for numerous forms of proclaiming the Word and preaching that may be entrusted to lay members of the faithful outside the homily and outside the celebration of the Eucharist, in accordance with canon law and the proper nature of these different forms of proclaiming the Gospel,” the letter stated. The request submitted by Bishop Wilmer followed discussions during the German Bishops’ Conference plenary assembly in Würzburg earlier this year and represented the latest attempt by the German Church to secure permission for lay preaching during the Eucharistic celebration. The proposal itself has its roots in the Synodal Way, the reform process launched by the Church in Germany that brought together bishops and lay representatives to debate questions relating to authority, ministry, sexual morality and the role of women within the Church. During the final assembly of the Synodal Way in Frankfurt in March 2023, participants approved a text entitled “Proclamation of the Gospel by Lay People in Word and Sacrament”. The document called upon the German bishops to establish a particular norm and seek permission from the Holy See allowing suitably qualified lay faithful, commissioned by the diocesan bishop, to deliver the homily during Sunday and feast-day Masses. The proposal was rejected by Rome shortly afterwards. In a letter dated 29 March 2023, Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, warned that permitting lay people to preach the homily could create “misunderstandings about the figure and identity of the priest”. He also stressed the inseparable connection between the proclamation of the Word and the celebration of the sacraments, arguing that the homily forms part of the ministry entrusted through Holy Orders rather than a role that can be delegated to the non-ordained. Despite that rejection, the German bishops returned to the issue and ultimately submitted a fresh request to Rome following their February 2026 assembly. Canon 767 of the Code of Canon Law states that the homily is pre-eminent among forms of preaching and is reserved to a priest or deacon. The same principle was reaffirmed in the 1997 Vatican instruction Ecclesiae de Mysterio , approved by St John Paul II, which stated that the homily during the Eucharistic celebration “must be reserved to the sacred minister, priest or deacon”.

The SSPX has sent a 28-page profession of faith and open letter to Pope Leo XIV and the College of Cardinals ahead of the Extraordinary Consistory, just days before its planned episcopal consecrations at Ecône. One senior cardinal tells AdVaticanum the looming consecrations are already on the minds of the princes of the Church as they prepare to gather in Rome The Society of Saint Pius X has issued an open letter to Pope Leo XIV and the College of Cardinals during the week of the Extraordinary Consistory at the Vatican, releasing a 28-page Profession of Faith just days before its planned episcopal consecrations at Ecône on 1 July. The letter, dated 24 June, the Feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist, is signed by SSPX Superior General Fr Davide Pagliarani, First Assistant Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, Second Assistant Fr Christian Bouchacourt, former Superior General Bishop Bernard Fellay and former Superior General Fr Franz Schmidberger. The documents were first published in Italian by the traditionalist website Messa in Latino, which said it had received them from “sources at the highest levels”. AdVaticanum later obtained the full text of the Profession of Faith through SSPX sources. Addressing Pope Leo XIV and the cardinals directly, the Society said it believed the time had come to make “an integral profession of the Catholic faith” and place it before the Church’s highest authorities. “On the eve of the Consistory scheduled for the end of this month, and only days before the episcopal consecrations planned for 1 July at Ecône, it seems to us that the time has come for the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X to make an integral profession of the Catholic faith, which we wish to place into the hands of Your Holiness and of each of the Cardinals,” the letter states. The SSPX said the Church was facing grave difficulties and that it could not remain silent. “Today the Church suffers under the pressure of new forces, arising both from within and from without, which are driving her in every possible direction except, so it seems to us, the right one. Faced with such suffering, we cannot remain indifferent.” The Society said the answer to the Church’s present problems was not to be found in new solutions but in fidelity to Tradition. “It does not belong to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X to indicate the path to be followed, but rather to the Church’s bimillennial Tradition, faithfully preserved and handed down by the Apostolic See throughout the centuries, and which many now regard, in practice, as an outdated reality, subject to continual evolution.” The letter says the accompanying Profession of Faith was written “in the face of the principal errors and the gravest dangers of our time” and argues that Catholic Tradition contains the remedies for the Church’s present crisis. “We are convinced that Tradition contains all the remedies for the deepest evils from which the Church and the world suffer, and for which solutions are sought in vain outside it.” The Society also expressed the hope that the text could become the basis for future discussions with the Holy See. “We hope that one day this doctrinal text may serve as the basis for a frank discussion with the Holy See, in a peaceful, fraternal, and charitable spirit.” Describing the declaration as a positive affirmation of Catholic belief rather than a protest document, the SSPX added: “The text that we present to you is not the sterile litany of a group of nostalgics, but the necessary expression, peaceful yet resolute, of our faith.” The Profession of Faith itself is a detailed restatement of traditional Catholic doctrine and includes explicit rejections of a number of theological and philosophical currents which the Society says have contributed to confusion within the Church. Early in the document, the authors argue that current circumstances require a complete presentation of Catholic teaching. “In the present confusion, it is no longer sufficient to recall a few isolated truths. It has become indispensable to set in full light the entire order of Catholic doctrine, in its supernatural coherence and luminous harmony, omitting no dogma, diminishing no truth.” The text goes on to state: “I consequently reject all errors contrary to this Faith, and in particular those of liberalism, indifferentism, modernism, ecumenism, and laicism, condemned by Popes Pius IX, Leo XIII, Saint Pius X, Pius XI, and Pius XII.” Among the themes addressed are grace, original sin, redemption, the Church, the liturgy and the social kingship of Christ. Rejecting what it describes as modern attempts to redefine faith, the declaration states: “I consequently reject the error of modernism, as it still rages today, which reduces faith to an interior experience, to a sensible aspiration, or to a progressive realisation in the believing community.” On original sin, it says: “In Adam, however, the nature of man was not destroyed, but only wounded,” before adding: “I likewise reject all doctrines which, in a senseless optimism, minimise original sin, naively exalt the native goodness of man.” The document also reaffirms traditional teaching on Christ’s redemptive sacrifice. “I therefore reject every doctrine which would reduce the Redemption to a simple manifestation of God’s love. The Cross is not merely a sign: it is the altar of the redemptive Sacrifice.” The text follows this with a rejection of what it calls “false ecumenism”. “I therefore reject false ecumenism, which rests upon the idea that the Holy Ghost would not refuse to use separated communities as means of salvation.” One of the longest sections concerns the Social Kingship of Christ, a doctrine strongly associated with pre-conciliar Catholic social teaching. “I profess that Our Lord Jesus Christ is King not only of individuals, but also of families, institutions, peoples, and nations.” The declaration adds that Christ’s reign “must extend to the external forum, to laws, morals, education, culture, and public life”. The final section deals with the liturgy and offers a defence of the traditional Roman Mass while criticising the reforms introduced after the Second Vatican Council. “I profess that the traditional Roman Mass expresses with incomparable clarity the Catholic doctrine of Sacrifice.” The text continues: “I observe with sorrow that the contemporary liturgical reforms have departed considerably from the traditional liturgy, and thereby contributed preponderantly to the loss of the sense of the sacred.” The letter concludes with the words of St Paul, “For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth,” before adding: “We too believe; therefore we speak.” As the Extraordinary Consistory convenes this Friday, with the Vatican expected to bring all the cardinals to Rome, including those beyond voting age, one senior cardinal speaking off the record to AdVaticanum earlier this week acknowledged that the impending 1 July SSPX episcopal consecrations remain a “looming topic” among the princes of the Church, even if they will not feature in any public discussion. “We are reminded by the statements from Cardinal Fernández earlier this year and more recently,” the senior cardinal said, “and we are intellectually aware of the episcopal consecrations.” The cardinal added: “As the consistory is only this Friday, we think about it, about the implications for unity and for the Church’s witness in a fractured age.”

The Vatican has published an unusually detailed programme for the Extraordinary Consistory, setting out the themes cardinals will discuss as well as the procedures, time limits and reporting structure for the two-day meeting The Vatican has released an unusually detailed briefing on this month’s Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals, revealing not only the themes to be discussed but also the tightly controlled procedures that will govern the meeting. In an information note issued to accredited journalists, the Holy See Press Office confirmed that cardinals attending the 26–27 June meeting have been instructed to maintain confidentiality and refrain from speaking to the media during the proceedings “in order to maintain a climate of fraternal dialogue”. As usual, journalists will not be permitted into the hall during discussions, but the Vatican has promised a degree of transparency beyond that seen at many previous consistories. The Holy Father’s opening remarks and concluding address will be broadcast live by Vatican Media, while the texts of the biblical meditation and the principal introductory speeches delivered during the four sessions will be released to accredited journalists. The Vatican also said that summaries of proceedings will be distributed after each of the first three sessions. The briefing additionally disclosed the internal structure of the discussions. As was the case during the January consistory, participants will be divided into separate groups. One section will consist of nine groups made up of cardinal electors serving as ordinaries, including apostolic nuncios and cardinal electors who have completed service as diocesan ordinaries. A second section will comprise eleven groups made up of cardinals serving in the Roman Curia together with non-elector cardinals. Each group will be assigned a chairman and secretary. The chairman will moderate discussion, while the secretary will be responsible for collecting contributions and drafting a final report on behalf of the group. The Vatican also revealed a strict methodology for discussion. After a brief introduction lasting around ten minutes, proceedings in each group will unfold in three stages. The first stage consists of personal interventions, with each cardinal limited to a maximum of three minutes while responding to questions set out in the programme. The second stage, described by the Vatican as “shared listening”, will allow participants to speak again for a maximum of two minutes. During this phase, no new proposals may be introduced. Cardinals are instead expected to identify “the most significant points that emerged from the previous listening session”. The third stage will focus on drafting a report. According to the Vatican note, “The Secretary, with the help of all the Group members, collects the fruits of the discussion and proceeds to draft the final report.” Reports prepared by the groups will then be presented during plenary sessions. The Vatican said the groups of cardinal ordinaries will each present reports lasting no more than three minutes, while the other groups will also be given an opportunity to report back. The first session on 26 June will open with a biblical meditation by Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś under the title “In what world are we called to proclaim the Gospel?” Cardinals will then discuss two questions. The first asks: “What sufferings, tensions and questions are most forcefully affecting the peoples and ecclesial communities entrusted to your care today?” The second asks: “What signs of hope, of fidelity to the Gospel, and of possible reconciliation are important to bring to common listening?” The afternoon session will focus on “The culture of power and the civilisation of love”. The discussion will be introduced by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández and will draw on Chapter V of the papal text Magnifica Humanitas , specifically paragraphs 182 to 192. Cardinals will be asked: “How do the tensions, divisions and conflicts that are sweeping across the world today affect the life of our Churches and our peoples?” A second question asks: “What languages, attitudes and practices can help build reconciliation, coexistence and peace?” The programme released by the Vatican shows that the following morning’s discussions will be introduced by Cardinal Stephen Brislin under the heading “Building for Good: The Construction Sites of Our Time”. The session will draw upon the introduction and conclusion of Magnifica Humanitas and ask cardinals to identify fractures within their own societies that make it more difficult to pursue the common good. The cardinals will also be invited to consider: “What expectations and questions emerge from the people and peoples that the Church is called to listen to and that perhaps we do not listen to enough?” A third question asks what “supports, guidelines, or initiatives from local Churches and the universal Church could most effectively assist the commitment to building the common good”. The final session of the consistory will move to the New Synod Hall and focus on implementation of the Synod. Cardinal Mario Grech will introduce discussions using the document Towards the Synodal Assemblies 2027–2028: Stages, Criteria, and Tools for Preparation . Unlike the previous sessions, the programme provides for a dedicated period of questions seeking clarification on the synodal process before cardinals enter into direct dialogue with Pope Leo XIV. The final exchange will consist of free interventions limited to three minutes before the Pope delivers a concluding address. The Vatican’s information note also confirmed that all reports produced by the discussion groups will be submitted electronically. “ The consistory will conclude with the singing of the Te Deum before a dinner with Pope Leo XIV in the Paul VI Hall. The publication of both the programme and the procedural framework provides one of the clearest indications yet of how this pontificate intends to conduct consultation with the College of Cardinals, while also revealing the specific texts, questions and discussion methods that will shape deliberations over the two days. The most striking aspect of the release is the extent to which the structures and working methods developed during the pontificate of Pope Francis have survived into the reign of Pope Leo XIV. The synodal framework established under Francis was never likely to disappear. Even so, the level of continuity revealed by the consistory programme is notable. The division of cardinals into small discussion groups, the emphasis on “shared listening”, the appointment of secretaries responsible for producing collective reports, and the strict time limits imposed on interventions all mirror procedures that became familiar during the Synod on Synodality. Rather than marking a departure from the Francis era, the arrangements suggest that many of its assumptions about consultation and decision-making remain firmly embedded within the Vatican’s institutional culture. We saw during the January consistory that synodal elements would remain part of the Vatican’s approach to consultation, and that expectation has now been borne out. That gathering was framed largely around listening, small-group discussion and collective reporting, and the same methodology now appears to have been carried over into the forthcoming Extraordinary Consistory. The prominence given to the Synod Secretariat is equally revealing. The final session of the consistory will not simply discuss synodality in general terms but will be structured around the Secretariat’s document, Towards the Synodal Assemblies 2027–2028: Stages, Criteria, and Tools for Preparation , with Cardinal Mario Grech leading the discussion. That decision points to the continuing influence of the synodal apparatus created during the previous pontificate. The fact that an Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals is being organised according to methodologies developed by the Synod Secretariat, and that the future stages of the synodal process occupy a dedicated session with the Pope himself, shows that the office remains one of the most important centres of influence in the Vatican, with a role that extends well beyond the conclusion of the Synod on Synodality itself.