The absence of Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, Archbishop of Managua at this months extraordinary consistory raised questions amongst Catholics. The 76-year-old cardinal, the only member of the College of Cardinals from Nicaragua, said he had checked all normal channels of communication without finding any summons from the Vatican. “I won’t be there. They didn’t call me. I checked my email and WhatsApp. Nothing,” he told Vos TV on 5 January, shortly before the consistory opened.
His absence from the first extraordinary consistory convened by Pope Leo XIV drew attention both in Nicaragua and in Rome. According to canon 353 of the Code of Canon Law, ordinary consistories are usually attended by cardinals present in Rome and are held for consultation with the Pope and for acts of particular solemnity. Extraordinary consistories, by contrast, require the presence of cardinals from across the global Church, as “all Cardinals are summoned to an extraordinary Consistory, which takes place when the special needs of the Church and more serious matters suggest it”.
