The Church of St. Luke

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- During Lent, people of faith come together to recognize their sins, which are not external evils to be solved by pointing fingers, but are evils residing inside one's heart requiring conversion, Pope Leo XIV said.

"We need to respond by courageously accepting responsibility" for one's own sins, he said in his homily during Mass on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18.

This approach is countercultural, he said, and yet "it constitutes an authentic, honest and attractive option, especially in our times, when it is so easy to feel powerless in the face of a world that is in flames."

He said sacred Scripture teaches that opposing idolatry with "worship of the living God means daring to be free, and rediscovering freedom through an exodus, a journey, where we are no longer paralyzed, rigid or complacent in our positions, but gathered together to move and change."

The pope marked the beginning of Lent with the traditional Lenten procession on Rome's Aventine Hill.

The liturgy began with a brief prayer at the Church of St. Anselm, which is part of a Benedictine monastery. Chanting the litany of saints, cardinals, joined by Benedictine and Dominican religious, then processed to the Basilica of Santa Sabina -- considered the mother church of the Dominican order -- for Mass.

In his homily, Pope Leo said many young people are open to what Ash Wednesday offers: the possibility of repentance.

The pope asked Catholics to "embrace the missionary significance of Lent" by introducing this season "to the many restless people of goodwill who are seeking authentic ways to renew their lives, within the context of the Kingdom of God and his justice."

Lent is about conversion -- a change of direction -- that makes "our proclamation more credible," he said.

It marked the first time since 2020 that a pope has walked the procession, which had been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but then Pope Francis' bad knee and ill health prevented him from walking the short journey in subsequent years. Pope Francis marked his last Ash Wednesday March 5, 2025, from Rome's Gemelli hospital.

Pope Leo's complete homily can be found in English and in Spanish.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic Church is not merely an institution, but a visible sign of God’s plan to unite all humanity in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, Pope Leo XIV said in his weekly general audience.

The pope continued his series on the Second Vatican Council, emphasizing one of its principal documents, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, "Lumen Gentium," which states that the Church is "in Christ like a sacrament," and therefore both are a "closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race."

"It is through the Church that God achieves the aim of bringing people to him and uniting them with one another," he said Feb. 18 in Italian. "Union with God finds its reflection in the union of human beings."

Pope Leo said that this document refers to the Church as a "mystery," not because it is incomprehensible, but rather because what was previously hidden "is now revealed."

"Church is an expression of what God wants to accomplish in the history of humanity; therefore, by looking at the Church, we can to some extent grasp God’s plan, the mystery," he said. 

The pope said humanity is naturally fragmented, but Jesus broke down the wall that separates people, and the Church was established through his sacrifice. 

"Sitting at the right hand of the Father, he is continually active in the world that he might lead men to the Church and through it join them to himself and that he might make them partakers of his glorious life by nourishing them with his own body and blood," Pope Leo said.

With Rome's temperatures slowly rising, Pope Leo returned to holding the general audience in St. Peter's Square, waving at visitors, kissing and blessing babies as he rode in the popemobile on Ash Wednesday. At the end of his general audience, the pope addressed the beginning of the 40-day Lenten season in his greetings to English-speakers.

"As we begin our Lenten journey today, let us ask the Lord to grant us the gift of true conversion of heart so that we may better respond to his love for us and share that love with those around us," he said. 

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The behind-the-scenes series can be seen on EWTN+, EWTN.com, EWTN’s YouTube Channel, and on EWTN’s broadcast channel.

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