His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at Consistory: It's not the Church that attracts but Christ

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV addresses the Opening of the Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals in the Vatican  (@Vatican Media)

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV opens the Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals and recalls that Christ draws us to follow Him, warning that division in the Church scatters the faithful.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

“I am here to listen,” His Holiness Pope Leo XIV said in his opening address of the Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals taking place in the Vatican, on 7-8 January.

The Pope began by expressing his joy at welcoming the Cardinals to Rome on the day after Epiphany, praying that the Holy Spirit may guide them during these two intense but important days of reflection and dialogue.

The Pope said their day-and-a-half together “will point the way for our path ahead."

“We must not arrive at a text," he said, "but continue a conversation that will help me in serving the mission of the entire Church.” 

Read His Holiness Pope Leo’s Full Discourse Here

The Holy Father acknowledged that the College of Cardinals is a very diverse group, “enriched by a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, ecclesial and social traditions, formative and academic paths, pastoral experiences, not to mention personal characteristics and traits.” 

"We are called to get to know one another and to dialogue, so that we may work together in serving the Church," he said. "I hope that we can grow in communion and thus offer a model of collegiality.”

In his remarks, the Holy Father had reminded the participants of the significance of the Second Vatican Council, and reflected on his predecessor Popes.

"I invite us to pay close attention to what Pope Benedict signaled as the “power” that drives this movement of attraction," he said. "Indeed, this power is Charis, it is Agape, it is the love of God that became incarnate in Jesus Christ and that, in the Holy Spirit, is given to the Church, sanctifying all her actions." 

"Furthermore," Pope Leo underscored, "it is not the Church that attracts, but Christ; and if a Christian or an ecclesial community attracts, it is because through that 'channel' flows the lifeblood of Charity that cascades from the Heart of the Savior."

"While unity attracts, division scatters," he warned.

The Holy Father recognized that the Cardinals would reflect on two themes, choosing from among: Evangelii Gaudium, that is, the mission of the Church in today’s world; Praedicate Evangelium, namely the service of the Holy See, especially to the particular Churches; the Synod and synodality as both an instrument and a style of cooperation; and the liturgy, the source and summit of the Christian life.

Yet, "due to time constraints, and in order to encourage a genuinely in-depth analysis," he said, only two of them will be discussed specifically, being guided by this question: “Looking at the path of the next one or two years, what considerations and priorities could guide the action of the Holy Father and of the Curia regarding each theme?”…

This report was originally published on the Website of Vatican News. Please click here to read the full text.