AP reported on the 20th local time that Pope Leo XIV will convene cardinals from around the world at the Vatican for two days from Jan. 7 to 8 next year to hold a "consistory."
The meeting coincides with the end of the 2025 Jubilee and is the first official meeting presided over by Leo XIV since being elected pope in May.
A consistory is a forum where cardinals provide the pope with advice on faith and church governance, and, if necessary, it can be held alongside a ceremony to create new cardinals. However, according to the Holy See, this meeting will focus on church issues without personnel-related events.
Since his accession, Leo XIV has focused mainly on meetings with pilgrimage groups, the youth jubilee, and wrapping up unfinished tasks from the era of his predecessor, Pope Francis. Accordingly, observers say this meeting will be the first stage where he publicly presents the agenda and direction he set himself.
Unlike Pope Francis, who during his tenure relied on an eight- to nine-member council of cardinal advisers to run the church, Leo XIV has opted for collective deliberation by calling the entire global college of cardinals to Rome, signaling a change.
AP said, "This consistory is a signal marking the practical start of Pope Leo XIV's term in the new year," adding, "His governing style and direction for church reform will come into full view."