VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV has called the world's cardinals for two days of meetings to the Vatican as he looks for help to govern the church, the Vatican said over the weekend.

This is the clearest sign that the new year will signal the unofficial start of his pontificate.

The consistory, as such gatherings are called, will be held on January 7 and 8, immediately following the January 6 conclusion of the 2025 Holy Year, a celebration of Christianity held once every 25 years.

Leo's first months as pope have mainly been taken up with weekly Holy Year duties, including meetings with pilgrimage groups and presiding over special Jubilee audiences and Masses. He has also spent much of his time resolving matters left unresolved by Pope Francis's pontificate.

As a result, the January consistory will, in many respects, be the first opportunity for Leo to focus on his own agenda following his May 8 election as the first American pope.

Francis had mostly avoided using consistories as tools of governance, instead relying on a small group of eight or nine hand-picked cardinal advisers to assist with governance and significant decisions.

The Vatican said Leo's first consistory "will be oriented toward fostering common discernment and offering support and advice to the Holy Father in the exercise of his high and grave responsibility in the government of the universal Church."

While some consistories are held to install new cardinals formally, no new cardinals will be created at this meeting, which will be purely consultative.