Vatican City, 24 February, 2022 / 12:00 pm (ACI Africa).
The Vatican released Pope Francis’ Lenten message Thursday in which the pope recommended that Lent 2022 can be a time to put down the smartphone and encounter those in need face to face.
“Let us not grow tired of fighting against concupiscence, that weakness which induces to selfishness and all evil, and finds in the course of history a variety of ways to lure men and women into sin,” Pope Francis said in the message published Feb. 24.
“One of these is addiction to the digital media, which impoverishes human relationships. Lent is a propitious time to resist these temptations and to cultivate instead a more integral form of human communication made up of ‘authentic encounters,’ face to face and in person.”
The liturgical season of Lent begins on March 2 with Ash Wednesday. Catholics traditionally mark the 40 days of Lent with the practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Many choose to abstain from sweets, social media, alcohol, or other luxuries.
“Let us not grow tired of uprooting evil from our lives. May the corporal fasting to which Lent calls us fortify our spirit for the battle against sin,” Pope Francis said.