Pope Leo XIV prays inside the Church of St. Anselm before taking part in a penitential procession to Santa Sabina Basilica in Rome, February 18, 2026, marking the start of Catholic Lent, where he will preside over the Ash Wednesday Mass. | Photo credit: AP
Pope Leo lamented a world “on fire” due to wars and environmental destruction during an Ash Wednesday Mass that opened the Lent season for the world’s Christians.
Before sprinkling the ashes on the participants’ heads, as a sign of death, the Pope said the ashes could represent “the weight of a burning world, the weight of entire cities destroyed in war.”
He also told participants that the ashes are “the ashes of international law and justice between peoples, (and) the ashes of entire ecosystems.”
“It is easy to feel powerless before a world on fire,” said Leo, the first US Pope.
Lent is a 40-day period of penance leading up to the most important Christian holiday, Easter, which celebrates the day believers say Jesus rose from the dead.
It refers to the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting in the desert in the Bible. During the season, Catholics are asked to fast, remember those in need, and reflect on mortality.
Pope Leo, who was elected leader of the 1.4-billion-member church in May to replace the late Pope Francis, did not address the specific conflict in his remarks. The pope has forcefully condemned the world’s wars in his first year in office and condemned what he called the world’s “enthusiasm for war” in a major foreign policy speech last month.
He spoke at a service at the Basilica of Santa Sabina on Rome’s Aventine Hill on Wednesday (February 18, 2026), preceded by prayers at a nearby church and a procession of cardinals and bishops.
Published – February 18, 2026 10:22 pm IST
