Pope Leo laments world ‘in flames’ at Ash Wednesday service

Pope Leo lamented ⁠a world “in flames” ⁠due to wars and ⁠the destruction of the environment during an Ash Wednesday Mass, opening the season of Lent for the world’s Christians.

Before sprinkling ashes on the heads of participants, a sign of mortality, ‌the pope said the ashes could represent “the weight of a world that is ablaze, of entire cities destroyed by war”.

He also told participants the ashes could signify “the ashes of international law and justice among peoples, [and] the ashes of entire ecosystems”.

“It is so easy ⁠to feel powerless in the face of a world that is in ‌flames,” said Leo, the first US pope.

Lent is a 40-day period of penance that leads to ‌Easter, the most important Christian holiday, which celebrates the day on which ⁠believers say ⁠Jesus rose from the dead.