The Message for Lent 2026 of Pope Leo XIV, entitled “Listening and Fasting. Lent as a Time of Conversion,” has been published. In a text rich in biblical and pastoral depth, the Pontiff invites the faithful to place God back at the center of their lives, allowing themselves to be transformed by the Word and rediscovering the power of concrete practices that renew the heart.

The Pope emphasizes that every authentic journey of conversion begins with listening. Making space for the Lord’s voice means learning to recognize also the cry that rises from suffering and injustice. The liturgy and the Scriptures educate us to a deeper attentiveness to reality, so that no plea for help goes unanswered.

Alongside listening, the Holy Father proposes fasting as an exercise capable of ordering our desires and keeping alive the hunger for justice. It is not merely an outward gesture, but a discipline that involves daily life and leads to a style that is more sober, free, and oriented toward the good. In a very concrete way, Leo XIV invites us also to fast from words that wound: no more hasty judgments, gossip, or slander. In their place, words of kindness, hope, and peace.

The message also recalls the communal dimension of Lent. Parishes, families, groups, and religious communities are called to undertake a shared journey, where listening to the Word of God and to the cry of the poor becomes the shape of common life and supports real choices of change in relationships and dialogue.

The Pope concludes by asking for the grace of a heart more attentive to God and to those on the margins, so that Christian communities may become places of welcome and listening may generate authentic paths of liberation.

The full text of the Message is available on the official Vatican website.