INSIDE THE VATICAN’S HIGH-STAKES HUSH-HUSH MEETING

Cardinals who will take part in the extraordinary consistory called by Leo XIV for June 26 and 27 have received internal documentation outlining the agenda and imposing strict confidentiality rules. According to information published by Messa in Latino, the document tells participants to avoid speaking to the press during the sessions, keep the discussions confidential, and not publicly identify the people who speak during the meeting. The consistory will be held in the Paul VI Hall and the New Synod Hall. It is one of the first major consultation meetings of the current pontificate and will focus on the international situation, the challenges facing the Church’s mission, and the process of implementing the Synod. The paperwork sent to the cardinals is marked confidential and says the gathering reflects Leo XIV’s wish to draw on the “heritage of experience and wisdom” within the College of Cardinals. It also makes clear that the meeting was not conceived as a deliberative assembly, but as a time for listening and common discernment on matters affecting the universal Church. The sessions will begin on Friday, June 26, with a Mass celebrated by Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Basilica. The cardinals will then move to the Paul VI Audience Hall for the working sessions. During the work, statements are prohibited. Participants are also required to keep the content of the sessions confidential and to refrain from making public comments while the proceedings are underway. Official information will be released only at a press conference at the end of the meeting, and the document also specifically recommends not revealing the identity of the speakers.