«We are not a team of experts, but a community of faith.” Pope Leo reminds the cardinals he has summoned to Rome for his first extraordinary consistory that «we are not here to promote “agendas” – personal or group -, but to entrust our projects and our inspirations to the scrutiny of a discernment that surpasses us “as much as the sky above the earth” and which can only come from the Lord». Wake up early for 170 cardinals who are in Rome to participate in the works. At the altar of the cathedra the mass begins at 7.30. In the homily the Pontiff underlines that this is a «moment of grace in which our being united in the service of the Church is expressed». And he reads “the word Consistory, Consistorium, ”assembly”” in light of “the root of the verb consistere, that is ‘‘stop”. And in fact all of us ”stopped” to be here: we suspended our activities for a certain time and renounced even important commitments, to find ourselves together to discern what the Lord asks of us for the good of his People.” This gesture, in itself “very significant, prophetic, particularly in the context of the frenetic society in which we live. In fact, remember the importance, in every life journey, of pausing, to pray, listen, reflect and thus return to focusing our gaze ever better on the goal, directing every effort and resource towards it, so as not to risk running blindly or beating the air in vain, as the apostle Paul warns”.
On the afternoon of the 7th, at the beginning of the work which continued until the evening of the 8th January, Leone explained that he wanted first of all to listen. «This day and a half of ours together will be a prefiguration of our future path. We don’t have to arrive at a textbut to carry on a conversation that helps me in my service for the mission of the whole Church.” The Pontiff then asked the cardinals to choose the topics to deal with from the four proposed. After short interventions of three minutes each, the cardinals, divided into 20 groups, decided to delve deeper into those of the synodality and mission (the other two were liturgy and curia). Topics which, as the Pontiff himself suggested, will be treated with a guiding question: «Looking at the path of the next one or two years, what attentions and priorities could direct the action of the Holy Father and the Curia on the issue? Listen to each other’s mind, heart and spirit; listen to each other; express only the main point and very briefly, so that everyone can speak: this will be our way of proceeding.” Unity, first and foremost, and brevity. «The wise ancient Romans said: “Non Multa sed multum!”»he underlined «And in the future, this style of mutual listening, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit and walking together, will continue to be of great help for the Petrine ministry that has been entrusted to me. Even from the way we learn to work together, with brotherhood and sincere friendship, something new can begin, which brings the present and future into play.”
A Consistory convened in a difficult moment for the entire world. The cardinal also remembered this Timothy Radcliffe I call you to hold the first meditation at the beginning of the assembly. “We live in times of terrible storms, marked by growing violence, from armed crime to war,” he underlined. «The gap between rich and poor is widening more and more. The global order born after the last world war is crumbling. We still don’t know what outcomes Artificial Intelligence will produce. If we aren’t already restless, we should be.”. And again: «The Church itself is shaken by its own storms: sexual abuse and ideological divisions. The Lord calls us to navigate these storms and face them with truth and courage, without timidly waiting on the shore. If we do so in this Consistory, we will see him come towards us. If, however, we remain hidden on the shore, we will not meet him. In the Consistory, some of us will be custodians of memory, enhancing and safeguarding tradition. Others will be able to rejoice more intensely in the surprising newness of God. Memory and novelty, however, are inseparable in the dynamism of Christian life. Our discussions will come to life if we know how to be together rooted in the memory of the great works accomplished by the Lord and open to his perennial and ever new freshness. There is no competition between the two.”
And Pope Leo also insisted on unity in diversity. “We must be united, division disperses,” he said, invoking the cardinals’ help: “I need it.” And then, in the homily of 8 January he added that we need to “work together, no one seeks their own interests”. And even if «we will not always be able to find immediate solutions to the problems we face», «always, however, in every place and circumstance, we will be able to help each other – and in particular help the Pope – to find the ”five loaves and two fishes” that Providence never fails to provide wherever its children ask for help; and to welcome them, deliver them, receive them and distribute them, enriched with the blessing of God and the faith and love of all, so that no one lacks what is necessary.”
