Pope Leo XIV urges Christians to practice a “fasting of words” this Lent, encouraging kindness, listening, and conversion through silence and compassion.
Newsroom (13/02/2026 Gaudium Press ) In his Lenten message for 2026, released Friday, Pope Leo XIV extended an invitation that cuts to the heart of modern communication: the call to refrain from words that offend and wound others.
“I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence,” the Pope said, “that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor.”
Delivered as Christians prepare to begin Lent on Ash Wednesday, February 18, the message urges the faithful to return to the essence of the liturgical season — placing the mystery of God once again at the center of daily life. The Pope described Lent as a sacred journey of conversion, rooted in allowing God’s word to penetrate the heart and renew the call to follow Christ through His passion, death, and resurrection.
Listening at the Heart of Conversion
At the core of Pope Leo’s message is the importance of attentive listening — to God, to others, and to the reality of human suffering. “In the midst of the many voices present in our personal lives and in society,” he said, “Sacred Scripture helps us to recognize and respond to the cry of those who are anguished and suffering.”
The Pope emphasized that true conversion begins by cultivating a heart open to hearing God’s voice, which in turn opens believers to the pleas of the poor and marginalized. This, he noted, challenges not only individual consciences but also economic systems and even the Church itself.
The Spiritual Power of Fasting
Turning to the discipline of fasting, Pope Leo XIV underlined its role in awakening a desire for justice and freeing believers from complacency. “Precisely because it involves the body,” he said, “fasting makes it easier to recognize what we ‘hunger’ for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance.”
He described fasting as a means of self-governance — a way to purify and direct human desires toward God and acts of good will. Yet he warned that fasting must be embraced with humility, faith, and solidarity, rather than as a source of pride. Other forms of self-denial, the Pope added, can similarly cultivate a simpler and more generous life.
“Fasting from Words” — A New Form of Abstinence
Perhaps the most striking portion of this year’s Lenten reflection came when Pope Leo XIV proposed a deeply human and rarely discussed discipline: abstaining from harsh and hurtful words.
“Let us begin by disarming our language,” he urged, calling for restraint from judgment, slander, or gossip, particularly in public discussions, the workplace, and online spaces. He asked Christians to measure their speech, cultivate respect, and replace hostility with compassion — from families and parishes to political debates and social media platforms.
If believers commit to this practice, Pope Leo said, “words of hatred give way to words of hope and peace.”
Building Communities of Listening and Mercy
The Pope also stressed that listening and fasting are not only personal acts but communal ones. They take shape in parishes, families, and religious communities — wherever believers live, work, and worship.
By hearing the cries of the suffering and placing hearts in the path of conversion to Christ, he said, Christians can transform both conscience and community. This journey encourages self-examination, compelling the faithful to see what truly guides their desires and to respond to humanity’s deep thirst for justice and reconciliation.
Pope Leo XIV concluded his message with a prayerful appeal: that this Lent might become a time when words heal rather than harm. “Let us ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language,” he said, “so that hurtful words may diminish and give way to a greater space for the voice of others.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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