During his Angelus address on the First Sunday of Lent, February 22, 2026, the Pope called on Catholics worldwide to turn off smartphones, televisions, and radios throughout the forty-day season. He framed the digital detox as a practical means to create space for silence, prayer, and deeper Scripture meditation, linking it to a more intentional approach toward the sacraments and listening to the Holy Spirit. The appeal forms part of broader Lenten themes emphasizing simplification and spiritual renewal, with specific guidance on practical steps available for those seeking to answer the call.
During his Angelus address on the First Sunday of Lent, February 22, 2026, Pope Leo XIV called on Catholics worldwide to turn off their smartphones, televisions, and radios throughout the season, a practice he said would create space for silence, prayer, and deeper meditation on Scripture. The appeal came as part of his message encouraging the faithful to approach the sacraments and listen more closely to the Holy Spirit during the Lenten journey of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
The Pope’s call builds on themes he introduced in his Lenten message titled “Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion,” released February 13, 2026. In that message, he explained that fasting from food helps believers break free from complacency and creates a hunger for God, allowing them to recognize their true spiritual needs and order their desires properly. He emphasized that such practices must be rooted in faith and humility rather than pride, and should be paired with self-denial to cultivate a sober lifestyle.
The digital detox serves a practical purpose, the Pope said, urging the faithful to simplify their daily lives in order to encounter God more fully and devote time to the lonely, elderly, poor, and sick. He encouraged believers to renounce the superfluous and share their savings with those in need.
Real Life Catholic’s Lenten Phone Fast Challenge offers concrete options such as going phone-free after six in the evening or dedicating one day per week to scroll-free living. Adjustments like grayscale mode or deleting social media apps can reduce digital enticement.
Pope Leo XIV also expanded the traditional concept of fasting to include words, calling on Catholics to disarm hurtful language and avoid immediate judgment, speaking ill of others, and slander. Drawing on St. Augustine, he emphasized custody of the heart and the practice of prayer in humility, noting that charity reaches heaven and brings peace.
The Pope entrusted the Lenten journey to the Virgin Mary and called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine as the conflict nears its fourth year. Lent runs from Ash Wednesday, February 18, to Easter, April 5, 2026.
Prayer, understood biblically as both communication with God and an act of worship, is central to this call to silence and interior conversion, inviting believers to deepen their confession, thanksgiving, and intercession through focused time with God and neighbor communication with God.
