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Posted on 01/21/2026 9:30:25 AM PST by ebb tide
Cardinal Joseph Zen said he was “deeply grateful” for this month’s extraordinary consistory while also claiming it was “hijacked” by allies of the late Pope Francis.
On Tuesday, the 94-year-old Chinese cardinal published his reflections on the consistory called by Pope Leo XIV, the first of his papacy. Zen wrote that he came away “grateful” for the opportunity to gather with his fellow cardinals. However, His Eminence lamented the “time constraints” of the consistory that reduced the number of topics on the agenda and limited opportunities for discussion.
“I lean toward the ‘conspiracy theory’ that this meeting was hijacked by Pope Francis’s ‘henchmen,'” he wrote. “They did their utmost to prevent the cardinals from voicing their opinions. Isn’t this the exact opposite of Pope Leo’s purpose in convening the consistory?”
Zen noted the consistory format resembled last year’s Synod of Bishops meeting in that “everyone sits around a roundtable for informal discussions, with very little time for plenary sessions.” Cardinals could speak for only three minutes during the two 45-minute plenary sessions, amounting to just 15 cardinals per session maximum.
His Eminence further pointed out how staunch allies of Pope Francis played a significant role in the proceedings. These included Cardinals Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith; Mario Grech, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops; and Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
READ: Cardinal Burke calls Vatican consistory ‘important beginning’ but urges better organization
“Before the meeting began, the preacher from the ‘Synod of Bishops’ delivered a homily to the cardinals. (Fernández) also distributed a document. (Grech) made a statement. Even though (the liturgy) was not discussed this time, (Roche) distributed a document,” Zen observed.
“It seems that some are treating this consistory as a continuation of the Synod on Synodality.”
LifeSiteNews reported on the various interventions of Fernández, Grech, and Roche, which were initially leaked to the Italian press. Roche’s document, distributed but not read aloud, offered a defense of restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) promulgated by Pope Francis in 2021. Fernández’s intervention stated that “not all the truths of the doctrine of the Church have the same importance,” while Grech’s affirmed that “it always belongs to the Bishop of Rome to convene, accompany, conclude and – if necessary – suspend the synodal process.”
Zen’s full intervention at the consistory, republished here by LifeSiteNews, rebuked the entire synodal process as “ironclad manipulation” for taking away bishops’ authority by bypassing them in favor of the laity and for having a predetermined outcome. He spoke for the entire three minutes allotted to him.
“I know many cardinals shared my views some time ago, but they rarely spoke up during the meeting, and when they did, it was very ‘polite.’ I was truly unfortunate to be the only ‘bad boy,'” Zen recounted.
“After I spoke, it seemed like some people rolled their eyes at me, but both inside and outside the meeting, many ‘traditionalist’ brothers and sisters expressed their appreciation for me,” he added.
Cardinal Zen had met with Pope Leo XIV just before the start of the extraordinary consistory. The topics the two discussed have not been made public, but Zen wrote in his consistory reflections that “I did most of the talking while he listened attentively. He truly is a leader who excels at listening!”
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