Pope Francis will personally undertake his Lenten spiritual retreat from the evening of Sunday, February 18, until Friday, February 23, 2024.
As reported by the Holy See Press Office this Tuesday, January 16, the Holy Father also invites the Cardinals residing in Rome, the Heads of Dicasteries, and the Superiors of the Roman Curia “to join personally in this time of prayer.”
Pope Francis urges them to “suspend their work and retreat in prayer during the first week of Lent” to prepare for Holy Week. During this week, all the Holy Father’s commitments, including the General Audience on Wednesday, February 21, will be suspended.
It is noteworthy that since 2014, Pope Francis, along with the superiors of the Roman Curia, has carried out Lenten spiritual exercises outside the Vatican, moving to the “Casa del Divino Maestro” located in the town of Ariccia, 45 km from Rome.
The “Casa Divino Maestro” is owned by the Congregation of the Society of Saint Paul. It is a reserved and quiet site, allowing more focused dedication to spiritual exercises. In 2020, Pope Francis announced that he would not attend the spiritual exercises with the Roman Curia due to a cold and conducted the retreat alone in the Vatican.
Due to the restrictions caused by COVID-19, the Holy Father did not carry out this spiritual retreat with the Roman Curia in 2021 and 2022, but personally, at the Casa Santa Marta.
In 2023, he also personally held his Lenten spiritual retreat in the Vatican, a situation that will be repeated in 2024.
