Pope confirms consistory of cardinals in June

In an April 12 letter to members of the College of Cardinals, the Holy Father looked back on the first consistory of his pontificate in January, at which the cardinals had opted to focus on “the mission of the Church in the world today” and on “synod and synodality as an instrument and style of collaboration”.

In his letter, the Pope also placed special emphasis on Evangelii Gaudium, which is centred on proclaiming the kerygma – the Gospel with Christ at the centre.

Referring to the cardinals’ contributions, Pope Leo said: “This exhortation continues to be a significant point of reference. In addition to introducing new content, it refocuses everything on the kerygma as the heart of our Christian and ecclesial identity.”

He added that it was recognised as “a ‘breath of fresh air’, capable of initiating processes of pastoral and missionary conversion – rather than producing immediate structural reforms – and thus profoundly guiding the Church’s journey”.

The Pope said this perspective challenges the Church at every level.

“On a personal level, it calls every baptised person to renew their encounter with Christ, moving from a faith merely received to a faith truly lived and experienced,” he stated. “This journey affects the very quality of spiritual life, expressed in the primacy of prayer, in the witness that precedes words and in the coherence between faith and life.”

At the community level, he said, the Church must move “from a pastoral approach of maintenance to one of mission”.

“This requires communities to be living agents of the proclamation – welcoming communities that use accessible language, attentive to the quality of relationships and capable of offering places for listening, accompaniment and healing,” he wrote.

Among the proposals that emerged from the January consistory, the Pope said several deserve further reflection. These include “the need to relaunch Evangelii Gaudium through an honest assessment of what has actually been embraced over the years and what, by contrast, remains unfamiliar or unimplemented”, with particular attention to “the necessary reforms of the processes of Christian initiation”.

He also pointed to “the importance of valuing apostolic and pastoral visits as authentic opportunities for kerygmatic proclamation and for a growth in the quality of relationships” and called for a reassessment of Church communications – including at the level of the Holy See – “from a more explicitly missionary perspective”.

FULL STORY

Pope Leo XIV calls June consistory of cardinals, says Evangelii Gaudium must be relaunched (By Victoria Cardiel/EWTN News)