Ahead of the start of Lent, Pope Leo XIV invites Catholics to open ourselves to listening, fasting, and community, urging us to abstain from words of hatred in order to make space for words of hope and peace.
“I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor.”
Pope Leo XIV made that invitation at the heart of his message for Lent 2026, which was released on Friday.
Read the full article in Vatican News here
Read Pope Leo’s complete message here


