Message of Pope Leo XIV for Lent 2026
25/02/2026
Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion
Pope Leo XIV's Message for Lent 2026, with the theme “Listening and fasting. Lent as a time of conversion.” The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD) has prepared pastoral resources in five languages to accompany this Lenten season.
In his message, the Holy Father explains that “Lent is a time in which the Church, guided by a sense of maternal care, invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives,” so that “the Lenten journey is a welcome opportunity to heed the voice of the Lord and renew our commitment to following Christ, accompanying him on the road to Jerusalem”.
During this Lent, Pope Leo XIV invites us first of all to ask for “the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us” and to be able to “allow God to teach us how to listen as he does.”
Similarly, the Holy Father emphasized the importance of giving space “through listening,” since “the willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into relationship with someone.”
From the website of The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development ►