Dare to be free, join exodus away from stagnation, pope says on Ash Wednesday
Pope Leo XIV marked the beginning of Lent by highlighting how people, especially younger generations, are looking for an "authentic, honest and attractive" way to take ownership and responsibility in the world, which begins with humble repentance.
Carol Glatz
Pope Leo XIV takes part in the traditional Lenten procession on Rome's Aventine Hill Feb. 18, 2026, Ash Wednesday. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
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."
"How rare it is to find adults who repent -- individuals, businesses and institutions that admit they have done wrong!"
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.
"Young people especially understand clearly that it is possible to live a just lifestyle, and that there should be accountability for wrongdoings in the Church and in the world."
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.
"We recognize our sins so that we can be converted; this is itself a sign and testimony of Resurrection. Indeed, it means that we will not remain among the ashes, but will rise up and rebuild."
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.
Pope Leo receives ashes, marking start of Lent
A look at Pope Leo's Ash Wednesday 2026. (CNS video/Robert Duncan)
