When the College of Cardinals met for the 2025 conclave it was, for many, the first time they had come together in person. Visible evidence of the lack of personal knowledge in the College was demonstrated by the corporate-style name badges and lanyards with which each cardinal was furnished.
Such ignorance was due to the lack of consistories during the pontificate of Pope Francis, which thus robbed the cardinals of the normal chance to meet and exchange ideas. A call for such meetings to return was made clear during the conclave which elected Pope Leo XIV, and he has made it a prominent part of his early reign to honour that request.
