While announcing the elevation of 21 new members to the College of Cardinals on May 29, Pope Francis also said that the full College would meet to discuss the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium, with which he has restructured the offices of the Roman Curia.

That meeting will follow the August 27 consistory at which the new cardinals will receive their red hats.

At the last five consistories for the elevation of new cardinals—in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020—Pope Francis did schedule a meeting for the full College. Previously, in 2014 and 2015, following a pattern set by Pope Benedict XVI, he had combined the welcome of new cardinals with a session that would allow the cardinals to discuss the state of the Church. Consequently many cardinals—particularly those named in the past seven years—are not acquainted with each other.