Cardinal Czerny: No Complaints about Lack of Liturgy Discussion at the Consistory

[Stone]

"Sorry We Didn’t Discuss the Liturgy" — A Complaint Cardinal Czerny Never Heard at the Consistory

gloria.tv | January 16, 2026

Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, 79, said that during the consistory on 7-8 January, he did not hear anyone say, "Oh, I’m sorry we didn’t discuss the liturgy".

He told the Substack.com-account The Pillar on 13 January, that what Leo XIV will do with the Mass of the Roman Rite is "beyond my pay grade": "I can’t speculate about how he intends to approach the situation. But I can’t imagine a pope who wouldn’t want to bring peace to the Church. I think every pope since St Peter would want that," the cardinal speculated.

In general, he found the consistory a "healthy" exercise. "As soon as we got together and realised that the first thing we would do was spend the whole afternoon discussing it, we realised we were already at work. People immediately switched into gear. All three sessions were good."


"Not Possible Without Pope Francis"

When asked if the lack of collegiality among the cardinals wasn’t the elephant in the room under Francis, Cardinal Czerny denied it, saying: “No, quite the opposite. Everyone said, thought or felt that this could not have happened without Francis.”

Regarding the term 'synodality', Cardinal Czerny said that the Cardinals are closer to a common appreciation: “To appreciate doesn’t necessarily mean to be able to give the clearest of definitions.”

His "definition" of synodality is as follows: "If you just see it, you don't get it. You have to experience it."

Cardinal Czerny believes that the more synodal the Church is, the more it will evangelise.