Pope Leo XIV Just Redefined Papal Power — First Consistory Explained

..Bloggers note: parliament is on break until late January  so

here is whats happening in Rome 

..

 

Jan 9, 2026 #PopeLeoXIV #ExtraordinaryConsistory #Vatican2026

Pope Leo XIV has just concluded his first Extraordinary Consistory with nearly 170 cardinals from every corner of the globe — and what happened in those two quiet days in Rome may redefine the way the Catholic Church is governed for decades to come. This was not a ceremonial gathering. No new cardinals were created. No final document was published. Instead, Pope Leo XIV used this meeting to send a powerful message about how he understands the papacy itself: not as a solitary office, but as a ministry exercised in communion with the entire College of Cardinals. In this episode of Catholic Snack, we take you inside the Vatican to uncover what really happened behind closed doors. We explain why the cardinals overwhelmingly chose synodality and mission as the two priority themes, how the Pope structured the meeting around listening rather than speeches, and why he openly told the cardinals that he needs to be able to “count on them” in guiding the Church. You’ll also hear about the Pope’s striking words — “It is not the Church that attracts, but Christ” — and what that means for the Church’s identity in a divided world. We break down the spiritual meaning of the Mass celebrated on the second day, where Pope Leo XIV spoke about the need for the Church to pause, discern, and place every project on the altar before moving forward. Finally, we look at the announcement that may prove this was only the beginning: the Pope has already convoked another Extraordinary Consistory for June 2026 and expressed his desire for these gatherings to become annual, longer, and more deeply rooted in shared discernment. If you care about the future of the Church, about synodality, communion, and what kind of papacy is being born in our time, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss

 

 

For many Catholics, the image of the

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papacy has long been shaped by one

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dominant idea. The pope as a solitary

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figure at the center of the church, a

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man elected behind closed doors in the

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cyine chapel, emerging onto the balcony

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of St. Peter's Basilica, suddenly

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carrying the spiritual weight of more

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than a billion believers. That image is

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not wrong, but it is incomplete. Because

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while the pope is the visible sign of

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unity, the church has never been meant

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to be governed by isolation,

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collegiality is not an optional

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decoration, it is woven into the very

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nature of the episcopate.

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What Pope Leo I 14th did on January 7th

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and 8th, 2026 during his first

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extraordinary consistry was to remind

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the church of that truth, not in theory,

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but in practice. And here at Catholic

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Snack, we're diving into what really

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happened during these two days that may

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be redefining the future of papal

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governance.

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Leo I 14th summoned around 170 cardinals

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from every continent to the Vatican's

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cinnid hall. Africa, Asia, Latin

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America, North America, Europe,

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Oceanania, the entire global church was

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physically present. And here's the first

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revolutionary sign. He didn't just call

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the cardinal electors. He also invited

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those over the age limit. Voices often

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forgotten in governance. Cardinals in

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their 80s, 90s, men who have seen

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conclaves who knew multiple popes, who

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carried decades of pastoral experience.

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This wasn't a decorative choice. It was

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strategic. Now pay attention to what

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didn't happen. There were no new

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cardinals created, no ceremonial

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distribution of red hats, no final

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document presented as the fruit of the

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meeting. Nothing. Instead, Pope Leo I

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14th began by saying something almost

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unheard of in modern papal language.

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This gathering was not meant to reach

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conclusions. It was meant to sustain a

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conversation. In a church culture that

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often equates success with productivity,

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documents and final statements, that

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declaration alone signals a deep shift

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in how this pope understands his

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ministry. Then came the phrase that

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framed the entire consistry.

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It is not the church that attracts but

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Christ. These words were not

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sentimental. They were corrective. The

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Pope was saying with crystalline clarity

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that the church is in danger whenever

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she becomes fascinated with herself,

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with her visibility, with her authority,

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with her internal battles.

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Evangelization does not happen through

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institutional strength. It happens when

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Christ is allowed to shine through

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unity, humility, and genuine communion.

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Division scatters, he said. Unity rooted

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in Christ gathers. And this theology

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shaped the concrete structure of the

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meeting. The cardinals were not placed

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in hierarchical rows. They sat at round

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tables grouped by language facing one

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another. Think about this. Round tables.

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There's no head of the table at a round

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table. No place of privilege. It's the

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perfect symbol of collegiality.

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And each cardinal received three minutes

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to speak. Not five, not 10, three. This

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detail matters more than it seems. You

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cannot dominate a room in three minutes.

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You cannot deliver an ideological

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speech. You are forced to discern what

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truly matters. This is cinidality not as

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a slogan, but as a spiritual discipline.

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170 cardinals, each with 3 minutes.

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That's over 8 hours just of

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interventions. Eight hours of active

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listening of voices from across the

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world. A cardinal from Manila speaking

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about digital evangelization.

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One from Kinshasa speaking about the

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persecuted church. One from S. Paulo

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speaking about the peripheries. One from

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Sydney speaking about aggressive

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secularism. All with three minutes to

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share what the spirit places on their

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hearts. At the end of the first day, the

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cardinals were invited to choose the

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themes that would guide their

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reflection. Four were proposed.

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Evangelium,

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predicate, evangelium, cinnidality, and

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liturgy. By a clear majority, they chose

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cinidality and mission. This choice is

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deeply revealing. They didn't begin with

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bureaucratic reform. They didn't begin

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with structures. They began with

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identity and purpose. How the church

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walks together and why she exists at

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all. That evening, something

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extraordinary happened. Pope Leo I 14th

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spoke without prepared notes and for the

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first time the world heard not just a

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pope but a man carrying the burden of

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office. He thanked the cardinals for

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their journeys some of them long and

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exhausting. He said their presence was

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already a testimony to the church and to

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humanity. And then he said something

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almost unthinkable for a pope to admit

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publicly. He said he needs them. You are

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the ones who called this servant to this

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mission.

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Let that sentence settle for a moment.

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These words spoken without notes from

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the heart. Quietly dismantled the myth

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of the lonely pope. They placed the

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patrine ministry not above the church

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but within it. It's not I govern you

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obey. It's you called me, I need you.

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Let's walk together.

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Then came the question that should echo

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through every dascese and parish in the

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world. Is there life in our church? And

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he answered himself, "Yes, there is

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life, but only if the church refuses to

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fossilize.

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Only if she dares to abandon the fatal

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sentence." Everything is already done.

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Fear blinds. He said, "The joy of the

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gospel liberates. It makes the church

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daring again."

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The next morning at mass, Pope Leo I

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14th deepened this vision. He reflected

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on the word consistori itself from the

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Latin consist to stop to stand still. In

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a church addicted to projects, plans,

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deadlines, and outputs, he called for

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something profoundly countercultural.

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pause. Place every idea, every strategy,

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every personal agenda on the altar so

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that it may be purified and transformed

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by grace. The cardinals, he reminded

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them, are not a board of experts. They

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are a community of faith. Only when that

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community is rooted in love does the

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church become a true home for humanity.

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Then came the announcement that confirms

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this is not symbolic. Another

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extraordinary consistry has already been

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convoked for June 2026

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around the feast of saints Peter and

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Paul. And beyond that, Pope Leo I 14th

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expressed his desire that these

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gatherings become annual and eventually

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last 3 or 4 days. This is the

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institutionalization of collegiality.

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This is not a pope who consults when

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convenient. This is a pope who is

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reshaping the culture of governance

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itself. From solitary authority to

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shared discernment, from command to

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communion. For centuries, the papacy has

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oscillated between monarchy and service.

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Leo I 14th is not abolishing authority.

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He is rrooting it in relationship. A

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pope who governs alone may be efficient.

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A pope who governs in communion is

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ecclesial. This consisttory will not be

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remembered for what it produced on

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paper. It will be remembered for the

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papacy it began to construct. A papacy

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not of isolation but of fraternity. So

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why does this matter for you? Because

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the way the top of the church operates

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eventually shapes how every dascese,

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every parish, every community functions.

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If the cardinals are learning to listen

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to each other in Rome, maybe bishops can

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listen better to their priests. Maybe

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priests can listen better to their

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parishioners.

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Maybe parishioners can listen to one

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another. Cynality is not just for the

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Vatican. It's for the entire church. A

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church where authority serves communion.

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Where power exists to protect the

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weakest. Where government is not command

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but accompaniment.

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Now I want to hear from you. Do you

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think annual consisties will actually

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change the culture of church governance

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or is this just a beautiful moment that

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won't last? Drop your thoughts in the

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comments below. And if this vision

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speaks to your heart, hit that like

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button. Share this video with someone

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who loves the church and follow Catholic

9:38

Snack so we can continue exploring

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together what's really happening at the

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heart of Catholic life. Because here at

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Catholic Snack, we don't just give you

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news, we give you context, meaning, and

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a deeper vision of the mystery of the

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church. Until the next video, God bless

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you.