Pope Leo says sincere counsel is always an act of communion

…Opens consistory, seek frankness, loyalty from Cardinal

Pope Leo XIV has called on Cardinals to offer their sincere counsel as a sign of communion, as he seeks loyalty and frankness.

“I need your freedom, your frankness, and your loyalty. Sincere counsel is always an act of communion,” Pope stated as he opened the extraordinary Consistory and invited the Cardinals to help him discern the Holy Spirit’s action in the Church today through their explicit support and counsel.

Held in the Paul VI Hall, the consistory offered the Cardinals an opportunity to discern together with the Pope.

The Pope renewed his desire, which was expressed in January, that these encounters may help the Cardinals and the Pope learn better how to “work together in the service of the Church” and continue “a conversation that helps me in the service of the mission and of the whole Church.”

According to the Pope, communion is never achieved once and for all, but requires daily conversion, prayer, trusting relationships, and a willingness to listen to one another.

“I count on you to help me discern what the Spirit is saying to the Church today. I need your support: strong, explicit, and public. I need to feel sustained by you as brothers,” Pope Leo stated.

He reminded the Cardinals of his invitations in recent months to build communion in the Church through synodality, with each member cooperating in her mission according to their own charism and ministry.

The Pope invited the Cardinals to take his encyclical Magnifica humanitas as a key to understanding their own local Churches.

“The Church’s social doctrine reminds us that the common good does not arise spontaneously, but requires shared responsibility. For the Church, this takes on a very precise form: a synodal style at the service of the mission of the Kingdom.”

The Pope also invited the Cardinals to gaze upon the world, rather than focusing on the internal life of the Church. “How can we help our Churches today to proclaim the Gospel with greater fidelity, freedom, and credibility?

According to him, mission is not one of many tasks for the Church but her reason for existing, which thus requires the Cardinals to listen, bear their responsibilities, and discern the actions of the Holy Spirit together.