Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics on Ash Wednesday to seek the gift of true conversion as the 40-day penitential season of Lent begins. The Pope encouraged approaching Lent as a time for 'conversion of heart' to better respond to and share God's love. He called for living the liturgical season with an intense spirit of prayer to achieve inner renewal before celebrating Christ's Resurrection. The message was delivered during the Pope's general audience in St. Peter's Square on February 18, 2026. Pope Leo XIV also continued his catechesis on the Second Vatican Council, focusing on 'Lumen Gentium' during the audience.
17 days ago
Pope Leo XIV marked Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2026, with a morning general audience in St. Peter's Square, greeting pilgrims from the popemobile and blessing babies.1
In the afternoon, he led a traditional penitential procession from the Basilica of Sant’Anselmo to Santa Sabina on Rome’s Aventine Hill, followed by Ash Wednesday Mass.2 4 5 6
At the general audience, Pope Leo urged Catholics to seek "the gift of true conversion" through intense prayer, heart renewal, and readiness for Easter.1
He encouraged embracing fasting and refraining from hurtful words, as outlined in his Lenten message.1
Continuing his catechesis on Vatican II documents, the pope reflected on Lumen Gentium, portraying the Church as a sign and instrument of salvation amid worldly divisions.1
He prayed for the Church's guidance in sanctification and reconciliation.1
In his Santa Sabina homily, Pope Leo decried "structures of sin" in economic, cultural, political, and religious spheres, emphasizing sin's personal yet communal nature.2 4 5 6
He called for an "exodus" from idolatry, paralysis, and complacency toward freedom and change.2
Repentance is "countercultural" yet attractive, especially amid a "world in flames," with rarity of adults, businesses, and institutions admitting wrongs.2 6
Lent forms a people recognizing internal sins, courageously accepting responsibility.5 6
Ashes evoke "the weight of a world that is ablaze," including war-torn cities, eroded international law, destroyed ecosystems, lost wisdom, and diminished sacred sense.2 4 5 6
Quoting St. Paul VI's prophetic words from 60 years ago post-Vatican II, they counter modern pessimism and delusions.4 6
Lent gathers people into community, countering isolation and nationalism, renewing the Church as witnesses to sins.2 4 5
It holds "missionary significance," reaching restless people of goodwill, starting locally.2 5
Young people show openness to accountability for Church and world wrongs, embracing just lifestyles.2 4 5 6
The pope invoked ancient Roman station churches, beginning at Santa Sabina (A.D. 422), urging pilgrimage to martyrs' memories as models for Easter journey.4 6
Recognizing sins enables conversion as a "sign of Resurrection," rising from ashes to rebuild through penance.2 4
Easter joy follows participation in death-to-life passage, following unseen martyrs.2 6
Lenten conversion must address personal sin and societal structures
Lenten conversion, as taught by the Church, is a profound journey of the heart that demands addressing both personal sin—rooted in the mystery of human freedom and original sin—and the societal structures that perpetuate injustice, often described as "structures of sin." This holistic approach aligns with the Church's understanding of repentance as an interior reorientation toward God, expressed through visible acts of penance, while also urging transformation of social realities that hinder human dignity. Drawing from papal teachings and the Catechism, Lent invites believers not merely to individual self-examination but to a communal renewal that combats the "murky river" of evil permeating history.
At the heart of Lenten practice lies the recognition of personal sin, tracing back to humanity's "beginning" with Eve and Adam, where freedom was abused under the influence of the Evil One, introducing the "mystery of sin" into God's creation. This original sin manifests empirically in the inner contradiction every person experiences: the desire to do good clashing with impulses toward selfishness and violence, as St. Paul articulates: "I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want" (Rom 7:18-19). Pope Benedict XVI emphasizes this as a tangible reality, evident in daily news of injustice and lust, underscoring that original sin's doctrine remains viable even amid evolutionary theories by distinguishing its empirical effects from its ontological mystery.
Conversion, therefore, begins interiorly: a "radical reorientation of our whole life, a return... to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, with repugnance toward the evil actions we have committed." The Catechism describes this as involving "sorrow for and abhorrence of sins committed, and the firm purpose of sinning no more," nourished by hope in God's mercy. Jesus' call, echoed by the prophets, prioritizes this "conversion of the heart" over mere external works like fasting, though true interior change urges visible expressions. Pope John Paul II, in Lenten reflections, warns against "self-satisfaction," insisting that faith's prerequisite is "sincere repentance and the deep desire to change one's heart with God's help," an interior movement from self to God that acknowledges personal poverty and need for salvation.
The sacrament of Penance embodies this: contrition, confession, and satisfaction, alongside the Church's prayer and penance for the sinner, restoring ecclesial communion. During Lent, marked by Ash Wednesday's plea—"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and steadfast spirit within" (Ps 51)—believers are called to this "animi cruciatus" (affliction of spirit) and "compunctio cordis" (repentance of heart).
Yet Lenten conversion cannot stop at the personal; it extends to societal structures, as "every sin can undoubtedly be considered as a social sin," especially those attacking neighbors, consolidating "structures of sin" through repeated offenses. Pope John Paul II teaches that personal sins accumulate into social sins, worsening the human condition and strengthening "multiple structures of sin" in interdependent economic, political, and social systems, which exert a "frightening power of attraction," normalizing evil and hindering discernment. These structures, products of sin, alienate individuals, invite further sin, and demand change through personal conversion leading to societal reparation.
The Church's social doctrine judges such structures by their conformity to human dignity: necessary institutions can become "fixed and fossilized," paralyzing development and causing injustice, yet they depend on human responsibility, not determinism. The International Theological Commission notes that sinful structures, while analogous to personal sin (since only persons sin properly), influence liberty and must be reformed through penance, potentially involving renunciation of possessions or positions amid economic and political evils. Pope Francis links this to reparation of Christ's heart, obligating a "conversion of heart" to dismantle alienated social organizations that impede self-gift and solidarity. In Lent, practices like fasting and almsgiving gain "social and community function," converting development models for just distribution, protecting creation, and aiding the marginalized like Lazarus.
Lent weaves these threads together: personal repentance fuels societal action, as "the real responsibility lies with individuals," yet collective behaviors form sinful situations condemned by the Church. Pope John Paul II's Ash Wednesday homilies portray Lent as a time of prayer, penance, fasting, and charity, beginning with a "profound change of mentality and... conversion of heart" to achieve reconciliation with God, self, and others. This mirrors the Jubilee's call for all to repent, following Christ's path amid continental synods addressing global evangelization. Even recent papal voices, like Pope Leo XIV, echo peace rooted in dignity, countering violence and exploitation that thrive in sinful structures.
Thus, Lenten conversion addresses the full spectrum: from the "priority requirement of repentance" guarding against pride to resisting "structures marked by sin" through works of justice.
In summary, Lenten conversion fulfills its mandate by tackling personal sin's depths—original and actual—while prophetically challenging societal structures, fostering a "new and right spirit" for personal holiness and communal good. Believers are urged to embrace this dual path, confident in Christ's victory over evil, transforming both hearts and history.