At consistory, Cardinal Zen slams synodality under Pope Francis as ‘ironclad manipulation’
January 12, 2026
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CWN Editor's Note: At the recent extraordinary consistory, Cardinal Joseph Zen denounced synodality under Pope Francis as “ironclad manipulation” and an “insult to the dignity of the bishops.”
“The ironclad manipulation of the process is an insult to the dignity of the bishops, and the continual reference to the Holy Spirit is ridiculous and almost blasphemous,” Cardinal Zen said in reference to the 2021-24 synod on synodality.
Cardinal Zen added, “They expect surprises from the Holy Spirit. What surprises? That he should repudiate what he inspired in the Church’s two-thousand-year tradition?”
With the prelate’s permission, the College of Cardinals Report published the full text of Cardinal Zen’s remarks at the consistory. Cardinal Zen strongly criticized “Bergoglian synodality,” a reference to Pope Francis.
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