Pope Leo: During Lent, let hate give way to peace, hope

The Pope’s message for Lent, which begins on February 18 on Ash Wednesday, was titled “Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion”. The papal message asked Catholics to come together as a community to listen to the Word of God and to the vulnerable.

“Sacred Scripture helps us to recognise and respond to the cry of those who are anguished and suffering,” Pope Leo wrote.

Christians, said the Pope, can cultivate inner openness to listening, as God does, by growing in awareness that the poor challenge our lives and economic systems, as well as the Church.

The Pope also invited the faithful to engage in a “very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbour”.

Instead, he asked, “let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace”.

Lent is a time to “place the mystery of God back in the centre of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of daily life”, the Pope wrote.

Fasting, the Pope added, helps open people to a deep desire for justice, which frees from complacency.

“Precisely because it involves the body, fasting makes it easier to recognise what we ‘hunger’ for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance,” he said. “Moreover, it helps us to identify and order our ‘appetites,’ keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive”.

However, people must fast in faith, humility, and communion with the Lord, and not in a way that leads to pride, said the Pope.

FULL STORY

Pope invites Catholics to ‘disarm’ language and build kindness, respect for Lent (By Carol Glatz/CNS)

Pope’s Lenten message: Abstain from harsh words and rash judgement – Vatican News (Vatican News)

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Lent 2026: Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion (Pope Leo XIV/Holy See)