Pope Leo XIV Tells Consistory Cardinals I "need to count on you" - Proclaiming the Gospel with Christ as its Center is Our Mission - FULL TEXT Impromptu Remarks



The Holy Father Pope Leo XIV addressed off the cuff yesterday to the College of Cardinals, at the end of the first session of the Extraordinary Consistory (7 January 2026):
FULL TEXT Words of the Holy Father Pope Leo XIV:
Good evening again, and thank you very much for all the work you've done in this first session.

I would like to begin by simply repeating the words of one of the secretaries, the first to speak, who suggested that the journey was as important as the conclusion of the work at the table. I would like to start from there by first saying thank you for being here! I think it is very important that all of you participate in this experience as the College of Cardinals of the Church, which offers not only us—it is not for us—but also the Church and the world a certain testimony of will, of desire, recognizing the value of being together, of making the sacrifice of a journey—for some of you a very long one—to come and be together and seek together what the Holy Spirit wants for the Church today and tomorrow. So for this reason, I truly think it is important, even if it is a very short time, but it is a very important time for me too, because I feel, I need to count on you: it is you who have called this servant to this mission! So, I would like to say, I think it is important that we work together, that we discern together, that we seek what the Spirit asks of us.

If you'll allow me, I'll repeat some words from yesterday's homily on the Feast of the Epiphany. Many of you were present, but I'll say it again. "Let us ask ourselves: is there life in our Church?" I'm convinced there is, certainly. These past months, if I hadn't lived it before, I've certainly had many beautiful experiences of the life of the Church. But the question remains: is there life in our Church? "Is there room for what is born? Do we love and proclaim a God who sets us on a new path?" We can't close ourselves off and say, "Everything is already done, finished, let's do as we've always done." There truly is a path, and with the work of these days, we are walking it together.

In the story, Herod fears for his throne; he is agitated by what he feels is beyond his control, he tries to take advantage of the Magi's desire, and he tries to twist their quest to his own advantage. Herod is ready to lie, he is willing to do anything. Fear, in fact, blinds. The joy of the Gospel, however, liberates. It makes us prudent, yes, but also bold, attentive, and creative; it suggests paths different from those already traveled. This [encounter] for me is one of the many expressions in which we can truly experience the newness of the Church. The Holy Spirit is alive and present among us too. How beautiful it is to be together in the boat! That image that Cardinal Radcliffe offered us in his reflection this afternoon, as if to say: we are together. There can be something that scares us; there is doubt: but where are we going? How will we end up? But if we place our trust in the Lord, in his presence, we can do so much.

Thank you for your choices. I think the overwhelming majority of the discussions agreed upon the choice made by all the groups is quite clear. And it also seems very important to me, from other comments, that we cannot separate one theme from the other. In fact, there is much we could explore together. But we want to be a Church that doesn't only look at itself, that is missionary, that looks beyond, at others. The Church's raison d'être is not for the cardinals, nor for the bishops, nor for the clergy. Its raison d'être is to proclaim the Gospel. And so these two themes: Synod and synodality, as an expression of the search for how to be a missionary Church in today's world, and Evangelii Gaudium , proclaiming the kerygma , the Gospel with Christ at its center. This is our mission.

And so I thank you. This will help us organize ourselves for tomorrow's work in the two sessions. The other topics should not be overlooked. There are very concrete, specific issues that we still need to address. I hope each of you will feel truly free to communicate with me or others, and we will continue this process of dialogue and discernment.

Okay, that's all. Thanks for this service. I don't know if I made it past three minutes. The moderator was very kind! Have a good evening, and I'll see you tomorrow morning.

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