In the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, a consistory is a formal meeting of the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...

called by the

pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

. There are two kinds of consistories, extraordinary and ordinary. An "extraordinary" consistory is held to allow the pope to consult with the entire membership of the College of Cardinals. An "ordinary" consistory is ceremonial in nature and is normally attended by cardinals resident in Rome. For example, the pope elevates new cardinals to the College at a consistory;

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

called consistories for ceremonies of

canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon ca ...

; and Pope Benedict announced his decision to retire in 2013 at a consistory. A meeting of the College of Cardinals to elect a new pope is not a consistory, but a

conclave A conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the pope of the Catholic Church. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Concerns around ...

History

The term ''consistory'' comes from the ; "stand together".''Papal Consistory''
by Kevin Knight (Catholic Encyclopedia, 2009) Early popes conferred with their Roman presbytery which included the

deacons A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Catholi ...

appointed to oversee different parts of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. This tradition continued as deacons were replaced with cardinals and those cardinals (from among whom the pope was chosen) continued to meet at the request of successive popes. Consistories became an opportunity for the pope to decide matters of state and dispense justice directly, with the support and advice of Roman bishops and those bishops from other regions who happened to be in Rome.

Pope Leo IV Pope Leo IV (died 17 July 855) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 10 April 847 to his death in 855. He is remembered for repairing Roman churches that had been damaged during the Arab raid against Rome, and for building the ...

ordered that consistories be held twice weekly. Pope John VIII relaxed that edict slightly and an order of twice-monthly consistories. With the

Gregorian Reform The Gregorian Reforms were a series of reforms initiated by Pope Gregory VII and the circle he formed in the papal curia, c. 1050–1080, which dealt with the moral integrity and independence of the clergy. The reforms are considered to be na ...

, the Church limited outside influences on the papacy and the selection of popes, and the power of cardinals increased. Tradition developed that the pope would use consistories (closer to twice-yearly by the 17th century) to reveal a list of those that were to be elevated to the rank of cardinal. Eventually, responsibility for matters of justice was transferred to the Roman Rota and the functions of the Church were transferred to the

Roman Curia The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use ...

reducing the need for regular consistories. Subsequently, consistories became primarily ceremonial in function. Since 2016, Pope Francis summoned fewer consistories of all cardinals than some of his papal predecessors had done. Disquiet over the lack of consistories was due to their being one of the few official occasions for future members of a papal conclave to meet and get to know each other.

Consistories for the creation of cardinals

At a consistory for the creation of cardinals, the pope creates new

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

s in the presence of a number of, if not all, extant cardinals. Though the names of the new cardinals have typically been announced in advance, they only formally become cardinals at the consistory, when the pope formally publishes the decree of elevation, even if the new cardinal is not present. New cardinals present are presented with their rings, '' zucchetto'' (small skullcaps), and '' biretta'' (four-cornered silk hats) by the pope. The zucchetto and the biretta are scarlet, the distinctive color of cardinals' vesture. At the consistory, new cardinals, with certain exceptions, are assigned

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church () is a Churches in Rome, church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the Holy orders in the Catholic Church, clergy who is created a Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal. These are Catholic churches in ...

es in the

Diocese of Rome The Diocese of Rome (; ), also called the Vicariate of Rome, is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church under the direct jurisdiction of the pope, who is Bishop of Rome and hence the supreme pontiff and head of the worldwide Catholic Church. As ...

Recent consistories

Benedict used a consistory on 11 February 2013 to announce, in Latin, that he would retire as pope effective 28 February 2013.

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

created cardinals at five consistories, with the last before he resigned held in November 2012. In 2007 and 2010, he held day-long meetings with the entire College, the cardinals designate, and various advisers, on the day preceding the consistory of creation.

followed this custom for his first two consistories. His 2014 consistory for creating new cardinals was preceded by an extraordinary consistory where Cardinal Walter Kasper gave an address designed to launch the discussions of the Synod on the Family held later in the year. In 2015 a similar extraordinary consistory—held immediately prior to a consistory to create cardinals—discussed reform of the Roman Curia. Francis created cardinals at ten consistories at roughly annual intervals, with the last in December 2024, a few months before his death.

Notes

References

;Additional sources
Guido Marini, "Modifications to the Rite Approved by Benedict XVI: A Consistory between Tradition and Innovation", Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff
Retrieved 31 August 2017

External links