The consistory as a programmatic form of Leo XIV’s pontificate in relation to collegiality, priorities, and Church governance in the first phase of his pontificate

Abstract

The article analyses the extraordinary consistory of 7–8 January 2026 as an early programmatic act of Leo XIV’s pontificate. Taking a religious studies perspective, it combines the study of institutional discourse with reflection on the ritualisation of power and the mechanisms of legitimisation within the Catholic Church. The author posits that the inception of a pontificate is primarily revealed through inaugural gestures, consultation processes, and the institution’s language of self-definition. Here, the consistory is understood as a ritual-institutional event in which ceremonial, communicative and decision-making orders intertwine. An analysis of papal speeches and the disputes surrounding Cardinal Arthur Roche’s document suggests that Leo XIV is legitimising his pontificate by combining a Christological mission with collegiality based on consultation and systematic relations with the College of Cardinals. Consequently, the consistory emerges as a tool for shaping the pontificate, facilitating the management of contemporary Catholicism’s pluralism through orderly consultation and selective prioritisation of issues.