Consistory of Cardinals: What It Is and How It Works

The Consistory is a gathering of cardinals around the Pope to make important decisions. But how has it evolved throughout history, and how does one become a cardinal?

The word Consistory derives from the Latin consistorium, already used in ancient Rome to denote the emperor’s private council, made up of his closest advisers, and known as the sacrum consistorium – the “sacred college”. The Catholic Church adopted the concept of the Consistory to define a formal assembly of the College of Cardinals, that is, all cardinals of the Catholic Church, including both electors and non-electors. The Consistory is a key moment for the Church: it is the occasion for making major decisions, most notably the appointment of new cardinals, but also for dialogue and debate on issues of global significance. Causes for canonisation are also discussed during the Consistory. The cardinals who must elect a new Pope, however, gather in what is called the Conclave.

In the medieval period, Consistories were held frequently. The Pope would summon them whenever an important decision had to be made, in order to discuss the matter with the cardinals—just as the emperor did with his sacred college. We must remember that at that time, the Pope held both spiritual and temporal power. Innocent III, who was Pope from 1198 to 1216, is said to have called a Consistory at least three times a week!

Later, around the 16th century, the Roman Congregations were established under Pope Sixtus V as part of a broader plan to restructure the Curia. These were divisions of cardinals into specific departments (or dicasteries) to assist the Pope in various aspects of governance and spiritual administration. The Church was experiencing a turbulent era. The Western Schism and later the Protestant Reformation had both undermined its authority and questioned its power. In an effort to consolidate his role, the Pope created these dicasteries to handle administrative matters, drawing on the College of Cardinals for their membership. Initially intended as temporary bodies, the Congregations later became permanent institutions, always directly overseen by the Pope.

It was with Pope Paul VI’s reform in 1969 that the Consistory became the occasion for the appointment of new cardinals, investing the meeting with a new sacred character and transforming it from a ‘political’ event into a liturgical rite. Until the Second Vatican Council, the election of new cardinals required three different consistories: the secret consistory, during which the Pope listed the names of the new cardinals; the public consistory, when they were given the red biretta as a sign of their cardinalatial dignity; and finally the imposition of the galero, the cardinal’s hat.

Benedict XVI shared his Pontificate with the cardinals, calling a Consistory each time an important decision had to be made, including his historic resignation from the Papal throne.

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Pope Benedict XVI Statue wood painted Val Gardena

The statue created in Val Gardena portrays Pope Benedict XVI with a crosier that has a crucified Christ on the end.

What Does Consistory Mean?

The word Consistory means assembly or council. In Latin, consistĕre means “to stand”, which is exactly what the members of the sacred college would do in the emperor’s presence, while he remained seated on his throne.

Ordinary and Extraordinary Consistories

Depending on whether the consistory involves only cardinals residing in Rome or all cardinals worldwide, it is classified as either ordinary or extraordinary. This distinction has existed since 1983, established by the new Code of Canon Law. Previously, consistories could be secret, public, or semi-public.

The Pope convenes the Extraordinary Consistory, involving all cardinals, only on special occasions, whereas the Ordinary Consistory—which is also public and open to other clergy and even laypeople—is more frequent and is used by the Pontiff to address more routine matters or to proclaim solemn acts such as a confirmed canonisation.

Who Can Be Appointed Cardinal?

The Consistory is composed of cardinals, the highest-ranking members of the Catholic hierarchy, second only to the Pope, who alone has the authority to appoint them. In turn, it is the cardinals who elect the new Pope after the death of his predecessor. The position is governed by Canon Law and is not considered to be of divine origin. Cardinals also hold the most important roles within the Roman Curia.

In the past, becoming a cardinal was tied to the level of ordination. There were thus cardinal deacons, cardinal priests, and cardinal bishops. In the Middle Ages and up to 1903, tradition required that cardinals be of noble or bourgeois social origin. Pope Leo XIII decreed that anyone could aspire to the role, regardless of social class.

It was Pope John XXIII in 1962 who decided that, in order to be appointed a cardinal, one must first be consecrated as a bishop. In practice, to be elected cardinal, one must have already been a bishop and served in lower roles for at least 10 years. There may also be Cardinal Deacons—officials of the Roman Curia or priests created cardinals at a very advanced age—or Cardinal Priests, who were historically assigned to the care of Rome’s oldest churches.

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Bishop’s items

Bishop’s items: bishops rings, crozier, pectoral crucifix.

Thanks to special dispensations, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis have all appointed some priests as cardinals without first consecrating them as bishops. Also under John XXIII, cardinals were stripped of any governing power over the church or diocese to which they were assigned, both in terms of property administration and discipline. These duties are entrusted to parish priests and diocesan bishops.

But what is the difference between a bishop and a cardinal? As we have seen, a cardinal must first have been a bishop, whereas not all bishops become cardinals. Bishops wear purple and are addressed as “Monsignor”, while cardinals wear scarlet red and are addressed as “Eminence”. Even today, a cardinal functions as an ecclesiastical official, an adviser to the Pope, while the bishop is focused on pastoral life and the diocese entrusted to him.