Pope on Ash Wednesday: ‘Call death for what it is’

Vatican City, February 19, 2026: As the season of Lent begins, Pope Leo said the ashes of Ash Wednesday recall “the weight of a world that is ablaze, of entire cities destroyed by war.”

He offered these reflections while presiding over the Ash Wednesday Mass at Rome’s Basilica of Saint Sabina.

Referring to the ashes placed on the foreheads of the faithful, the Pope explained that they symbolise “the weight of a world that is ablaze, of entire cities destroyed by war.”

Reflecting on global realities, Pope Leo said that this Ash Wednesday invites us “to call death for what it is, and to carry its marks within us”.

Sin, public and private

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the 40-day period of prayer and fasting leading up to Easter.

Lent, the Pope said, is “a powerful time for community”.

At a time when community life is becoming increasingly fragile, Lent draws people together as “a community of witnesses that recognises their sins”.

Pope Leo emphasised that sin has both personal and communal dimensions. It “afflicts our hearts, and exists within us”, he said, while also being embedded in wider “structures of sin”, which may be “economic, cultural, political and even religious” in character.

Lent, he underlined, calls believers to “daring to be free” from these realities through repentance and transformation.

The ‘missionary significance’ of Lent

In a largely secular world, the Pope noted, this message has particular resonance, especially among young people.

He observed that the young are often especially aware that “there should be accountability for wrongdoings in the Church and in the world”.

For this reason, Pope Leo said, Lent should not be understood merely as a personal spiritual practice.

Instead, Christians are called to find ways to present it to “the many restless people of good will” who are searching for “authentic ways to renew their lives”.

Courtesy Vatican News