Pope Leo XIV Leads Ash Wednesday Rites, Decries Global Crises

Pope Leo XIV marked the start of the Catholic Church's Lenten season on Ash Wednesday by leading a traditional procession and Mass in Rome, where he decried the destruction wrought by global conflicts and environmental degradation. The event, held at the Basilica of Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill, drew dozens of monks, priests, bishops and cardinals who joined the pontiff in a procession from a nearby church.

In a departure from the practices of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who had largely delegated the rite in his later years, Leo personally revived the ancient custom. He walked the route with clergy before presiding over the Mass, during which he sprinkled ashes on the foreheads of participants, a symbol of mortality and repentance. Ash Wednesday initiates Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and self-denial that commemorates Jesus' time in the desert and culminates in the observances of his death on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter Sunday. For the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, the season emphasizes reflection on sin, charity toward the needy and awareness of human fragility.

During his homily, Leo linked the ritual's ashes to broader human failings and global...