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Pope Leo XIV Urges Action Against Global Injustices This Lent

2/18/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Pope Leo XIV opened Lent with an Ash Wednesday message at the Basilica of St. Sabina in Rome.
He said ashes symbolize the weight of a world ablaze and urged recognition of personal sin within broader economic and political injustices.
He described the ashes as representing the "ashes of international law and justice" and urged the church to confront these "structures of sin," echoing St. John Paul II.

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Story summary

Pope Leo XIV opened Lent with an Ash Wednesday message at the Basilica of St. Sabina in Rome.
He said ashes symbolize the weight of a world ablaze and urged recognition of personal sin within broader economic and political injustices.
He described the ashes as representing the "ashes of international law and justice" and urged the church to confront these "structures of sin," echoing St. John Paul II.