COMMENTARY: The Holy Father’s bold choice of Bishop Erik Varden as retreat leader speaks volumes. Pope Leo XIV

As the Roman Curia’s Lenten retreat continued, Cistercian abbot-bishop Erik Varden reflected on St. Bernard of Clairvaux and

Opening the Vatican’s Lenten spiritual exercises, the Norwegian Cistercian bishop warned against weaponizing the Gospel in culture wars.

Bishop Erik Varden, a Cistercian from Trondheim, Norway, is leading the Lenten spiritual exercises for the Roman Curia,

Purple vestments, stripped altars, and the scent of incense mark the Church’s entrance into Lent. Inside the Vatican,