Cardinals Zen, Erdő, and Eijk to Miss Pope Leo XIV’s Extraordinary Consistory

New report also sheds light on decision to remove liturgical debate from the consistory agenda

ROME, 25 June 2026 — Three prominent cardinals will be absent from Pope Leo XIV’s extraordinary consistory this weekend due to health concerns: Cardinals Joseph Zen, Péter Erdő, and Willem Eijk. Their absence contributes to what many expect will be a relatively subdued gathering as Pope Leo meets with the College of Cardinals for the second time since his election.

In an article published today in Il Giornale, Italian journalist Nico Spuntoni reveals these notable absences and discloses an additional detail about the consistory’s preparation. He reports that the liturgical question, originally expected to be on the agenda for Pope Leo’s June 26-27 meeting with Cardinals, was ultimately set aside in view of the approaching episcopal consecrations announced by the Society of Saint Pius X, scheduled to take place on July 1.

Here below is an English translation of Spuntoni’s article, titled published with the kind permission of the author.

---

Between illness and schism, a Consistory marked by absences

By Nico Spuntoni

The specter of schism will hang over the extraordinary Consistory that Leo XIV will open tomorrow at the Vatican. The second meeting with the cardinals convened by Prevost, following the one held in January, will take place on the eve of the episcopal consecrations announced by the Society of Saint Pius X without a pontifical mandate—an act that will likely incur excommunication for schism.

Yet the matter will not be discussed during the two-day gathering in the Paul VI Hall. On the contrary, as one cardinal confided to us, the proximity of the consecrations appears to have prompted the Holy See to revise its original agenda. The initial intention was reportedly to return to the two topics that received the least support at the previous meeting, among them the liturgical question.

Since the latter remains one of the obstacles—though not the principal one—in dialogue with the Lefebvrists, the Apostolic Palace preferred to steer clear of it. The traditional liturgy is not the exclusive preserve of Lefebvre’s followers; it is also celebrated by institutes in full communion with Rome that, since 2021, have been grappling with the restrictions imposed by Traditionis Custodes. This Consistory, however, will not be the occasion for advising the Pope on whether the time has come to ease the restrictions affecting traditionalists within the Church.

Even so, the issue is bound to remain highly sensitive because, according to our sources, the nearer the consecrations draw, the greater the unease among the Society’s professed members and religious sisters, many of whom do not wish to risk incurring a possible excommunication. Quite apart from the question of the Latin Mass, the Consistory’s agenda has not generated enthusiasm across the board.

The gathering will be structured around four working sessions devoted to the international situation, Magnifica Humanitas, and the Synod, with a strict media blackout imposed on the cardinals. One of them told us that there are concerns within the College about the “cumbersome” structure of the proceedings, which envisages a division into two assemblies and twenty working groups, while allowing only some of them to present reports before the full body.

Some suspect that this format was inspired by the General Secretariat of the Synod. Not coincidentally, the final session on Saturday afternoon will be dedicated to the “implementation process of the Synod,” with an introduction by Cardinal Mario Grech. This, despite the fact that the Synod was already one of the two topics discussed in January.

The result is a Consistory that promises to be a relatively subdued affair. Reinforcing that impression are several notable absences due to ill health, including those of Cardinals Joseph Zen, Péter Erdő, and Willem Eijk.